Chronicles of the Wayward Tome Hero
by LoneTaker
Summary: Rising of the Shield Hero Self-Insert. A Korean high-schooler from California, a sentient grimoire with an appetite for flesh, two demi-human slave/companions/only friends, a flock of birds who all have eyeballs for heads, and an imp who claims to be the god of all Space-Time all walk towards a hellhole of an isekai genre. This outta be fun...
1. Epic 1: The Advent

**_Beginning self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

_**Epic 1: The Advent**_

* * *

Let's see how I've ended up like this.

First, I noticed that there are exactly 100 days left until graduation (weekends included).

Second, my councilor's appointment has been moved to tomorrow.

And finally, I didn't do too badly on my Calculus Quiz today, so yay.

All of that, was around the last 16 hours of my life in the_ real world_.

Because by the type I hit the sack and wake up to go to the bathroom, the door ends up into a deep dark pit that sends me flinging down towards god-knows-where.

And now... here the _fuck_ I am.

Four Japanese dudes with each of them holding onto a bow, sword, spear, and shield respectively.

_"Fuck me..."_

The Rising of the Shield Hero. The trendsetter of edgy-isekai before Re:Zero and Goblin Slayer became a thing. _I_ am now living and breathing in this possible hellhole.

"Wait, calm down. Calm down." Before I can visibly panic, I began to process the world around me.

_"Naofumi, I think."_ I thought as I began to scan the room around me.

Itsuki, Ren, and-

_"... Fucking Motoyasu."_ I tried my hardest _not_ to strangle him right where he stood.

Wait.

_"If I am in 'that' scene, then that means..."_

A metal cuff was around my right wrist. Linked to the metal cuff, was a book chained to it.

A rather large book, might I add.

The book itself was gunmetal-black, a complete contrast to the others's whitish-silver weapons, and a single snow-white pearl on the center of the book's cover. As for the book itself, the book was the size of my backpack, its thickness is like the combined thickness of two of my math textbooks, and the pages around the edge were covered by a layer of white metal.

But on the plate of white metal, was a zigzag groove running through the center.

"BRAVE HEROES!" A booming voice rattled in my eardrums, causing me to flinch. "WE HAVE SUMMONED YOU FOUR TO SAVE OUR WORLD FROM THE ONCOMING-"

"HEY OLD FART!" I yelled out in an annoyed tone. Barefoot, in nothing but basketball shorts, a green hoodies and a plain white t-shirt under it, I stamped my feet towards the man upon the altar.

By the time I was around an arm's reach of the wrinkly hoot, the guards then cross their polearms, cutting my path off.

I stopped out of courtesy. After all, being sleep-deprived for about three hours is no excuse to continue acting like an asshole, right.

"Pardon me." I then cleared my throat. "Can someone tell me on what the fuck is going on here?"

"Wait, there are _five_?" A female voice called out.

_... Oh fuck my life._

I turn my head towards the left, setting sight upon a red-haired lady in somewhat-modest royal-looking garb and with an innocent look on her face that made me want to rip that mask that she calls a goodwill off of her face and make a hat out of it.

But should I do that, I'll go knee-deep to shoulder-deep in an instant.

_"Better wait til it gets cold."_ I thought as I then recollected my thoughts.

As the four Japanese began to converse with one and other, I then began to open my book, but I find all the pages to be _blank_.

"Wait." I thought. "What did the characters do when they tried to figure out their stats?"

Then I heard someone mention about a "menu".

_The crystal._

I then dragged my book closer to me and touched the white pearl.

Then a screen pops into my eyes.

"[Level 1]..." I mumbled out. I then continue to toggle with the menu to see what kind of a hero I am.

"[Hero of the Tome]?" I then look at the skill chart presented in my menu.

... And to my surprise, I've already unlocked at least _10_ skills, which would be great, but then I checked closer, and found out that _all_ of them were all non-combatant.

"[Master Linguist], [Hyper-Awareness], [Charisma Point], [Investigate], [Interrogate], [Negotiate], [Rebellion], [Discernment], [Fated Encounter], and [Analyze]?"

What am I, a goddamn Freelancer-class from Bravely Default!?

But compared to what I knew about Naofumi and his eventual hell, I really gotta count my blessings.

"Master of None" certainly beats being labeled as a "Crippling Overspecialist", that's for sure.

"Hey new kid!" Motoyasu called out to me.

_Yay._

You are not even remotely worthy of having the godly _Xander Mobus_ voicing you, you damned prick.

"Come here and tell us your name!" He waved.

With a sigh, I came forth.

But in order to "live-out" this world to the fullest, methinks it's time to get a new name.

"The names Nan Hon-Jah." I lied out my false name. "Korean, 18 years old, and I only had a 100 days left til I graduated from high school."

Then I turn my head awkwardly. "... That is until I kinda got dragged here against my will and end up in this fucking place."

Because to hell with this.

If I'm going to begin my stomp in this fucking hellhole, then I might as well start it with a smile on my face.

"Regardless, I hope we can get along..." I winced out.

Never been a people person, even in this new world.

* * *

_**To Be**_**_ Continued..._**

* * *

**Author's notes: Just a little something that I've cooked up ever since Shield Hero started airing.**

**Also my very first Self-Insert.**

**This outta be fun.**

**Let's see what I can do, alright?**

**Wish me luck. **

**... I'm gonna need it.**


	2. Epic 2: The Departure

**_Continuing self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

**Epic 2: The Departure**

* * *

With me and the other four "heroes" escorted out of the dark chambers and into a cushy lobby, I set myself down on one of the velvet plush chairs while the others began to settle in.

One thing stood out from me compared to everyone else in the room.

I don't have _shoes_.

Upon the realization that my feet were being cut and cold, I spring up from my seat and head towards the door.

"Um, excuse me!?" I yelled through the door. "Can I request a pair of shoes and about a week's worth of socks!?"

"Right away, Mr. Hero." One guards outside reply and I hear his footsteps echo.

"So..." Motoyasu spoke out. "So you're from America, right?"

"Mm hmm." I nod, trying not to kill him with my bare hands.

Dramatic Irony is the worst. Especially when you're within the range of the crossfire.

"How is it over there?" Itsuki asked. "I mean, I've heard its a lot different then Japan, so can you tell us all about it?"

"Eh, I'll bite." But before I could speak to him, the knocking sound cuts me off.

I head to the door, open it, and a guard shows up with a pair of leather boots and seven pairs of wool socks.

"You're a lifesaver." I thanked.

"Happy to help, dear Hero." The guard then closes the door.

As much as I was going to hate the system later on, I'll at least give him a tip.

I then turn to the Bow Hero. "Give me a sec." I then flop back to the chair to put on my new pair of boots.

I finished tying the last shoelace on my boot. I stand up and tap the soles onto the stone floor.

"So..." I then sit back to my plush seat. "You wanna know what like it there?"

"Then go on." Itsuki asked.

"Alright, but first, I need you all to answer my questions first." I requested.

"What could that be?" Ren asked.

"What year did you guys hail from?" I asked.

"Does it really matter?" Motoyasu replied. "I mean, why worry?"

"Information is the greatest weapon against ignorance." I replied with raising my voice. "Me being in an unfamiliar setting? Yeah, I'll need all the help I can get."

"If you say so." The university student then stands up. "I'm from year 2015."

"2022." Ren stated.

"2013." Naofumi stated.

"2008." Itsuki states. "So what about you?"

"February 2019." I stated. "Now is it a good time to talk about my former stomping grounds?"

The other four nod.

"Let's see..." I then began to talk about the current political state of my country, my school and home life, how my college registrations began to grind my grey matter into dust, how my life had been constant roller coaster of paranoia and depression due to my mental disabilities, and how much I played F/GO religiously.

All of that, took roughly over 2 hours.

"... I think I forgot to mention that I could get a little long-winded." I sheepishly stated.

"Don't remind us." All four of them stated.

"So, you'd expect that whoever's running this little shindig to pick us up-"

The door opens, revealing our escorts/the guards outside.

"All five of you have been summoned to the King's chambers!" One of the guards stated.

Then the two armored soldiers guide us to the central chambers, where upon the throne, sat King _FUCKING_ AultClay Melromarc.

_"Patience."_ I thought. _"That too, shall pass."_

I then try to_ not_ pop one of my arteries upon seeing that old bastard's face.

By simply not listening to one of his over-grandiose speeches, which is pretty easy since I've never been a people person.

Until I was then nudged by one of the four to introduce myself.

"Tell me, Tome Hero." The king declared. "What is your name?"

_"Eh, it's painless, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt." _I though as I then knelt down not out of reverence, but out of custom.

"I am Nan Hon-Jah, 18 years old, and I'm a Korean about-to-be high school graduate from California, and I need to go to the toilet."

The whole court goes completely silent.

"... No, seriously." I stuttered. "I really need to pee."

The King just facepalms. "Someone guide him to the nearest chamber pot or anywhere with soil."

_**About a Few Minutes Later...**_

"Sorry for the wait." I stated. "Now, where were you?"

"Ah, right." The King then clears his throat before continuing.

One exposition about the "impending calamity" and about our powers later, I then checked my stats on the stat sheets.

**Name: Nan Hon-Jah**

**Class: [Tome Hero]**

**Level: 1**

**Affinity: Not Yet Determined**

**Equipment: Enigmatic Tome [5 Stars]**

**Attack: 5**

**Defense: 2**

**Agility: 3**

**Luck: 4**

**HP: 75**

**MP: 150**

**[Skills Menu]**

**[Spells List]**

**[Help]**

"So it's like a VRMMO, right?" Ren stated.

"I've heard of such things, but I never seen the likes of it." I replied. "I've read enough SAO to know what the ropes are, and played enough D&D to know what my next courses of action are."

"Wait, D&D?" Motoyasu cried out. "That shit is old as hell, you that?"

"Well, unlike the millennials back in my timeline, I have have something called 'taste'." I replied smugly.

One ridicule session from the other heroes to Naofumi later, the King then presents the so-called "future heroes".

And that's when I fucking _bail_.

"Wait!" The King called out from behind. "Where do you think you're going?"

I merely turn around with the coldest glare that my eyes can muster.

"Sorry, but I don't accept fanboys or ass-kissers who were paid by royal coin to keep an eye one me." I stated. "And your next line is, 'Why do you accuse me of such a thing?'."

"Why do you accuse of such a thing?" The King asked.

"My answer." I continued. "Is the fact that you don't seem to trust me." I then continue with my statements. "When the priest back at the summoning chambers stated the phrase 'four heroes', along with the fact that one of them were surprised upon my arrival, I suspected that you were going to keep an eye out on me so that I don't ruin everything."

The King was loss for words.

"Hey, if you're going to say that you don't trust me just because I'm an outlier, then kick me out. And hey, who knows, I might die by some drunken thug with a knife." I stated while I slipped a loose coin from one of the pouches from the so-called heroes and hid them inside of my sleeve.

"**[Five-Finger Discount]** Skill learned." My stat menu messaged.

"So I learn these "skills" as I try them out at least once." I thought. "Better save it for later."

"So with that all said, I'll make myself scarce, and spare you any further headaches." My hands then clasp onto the handles of the double doors outside of the throne room.

"Passive Skill,** [Rebellion]**, active." My HUD stated.

"Thank you, sorry for wasting all of your times, and I bid you all, farewell."

Then I slam the doors behind me and make my way out of the whole castle building with the utmost haste. Above me was a sky with the sun slowing setting beneath the horizon.

"**[Wayward Hero]** and **[Fate's Deviant]** titles unlocked." My HUD announced.

"Wait, _titles_?"

I do _not_ remember the original The Rising of the Shield Hero having such thing. Actually, I don't even recall such thing.

"But still, at least this gives me something to work with..." I muttered as I walked further away from the castle and towards the town ahead.

Along the way, I activate my **[Five-Finger Discount]** skill to snatch a few bits of coins into my hoodie pocket.

_"Eh. Better stop before people gets suspicious."_ Although in my defense, I only stole one piece per person.

I then head towards a familiar looking shop. The same shop that I remember Naofumi constantly frequenting every episode.

I enter through the door and behind the counter was the the hard-to-miss shopkeeper.

"Welcome to the Smith." The shopkeeper said in a gruff and masculine voice. "What can I get ya?"

"Just looking around for future investments." I replied.

"Well I'm running a business, so buy something before you get out, alright?"

I nod before I look around.

"Say sir?" I asked. "Do you have any equipment suited for magic users?"

"I've got a few things that might fit the bill, but I ain't carrying as much as the Magic Specialty shop a block away." The shopkeep stated.

"Regardless, would you kindly show your inventory?"I asked.

"Right this way." He then guided me towards the back room.

Along the walls, there were the following.

Low-level incantation daggers, basic metallic-blue and red chainmail vests, a few maces with simple gems on the end of the business end, and a few other things that might tickle a fancy for a few close-combatant mages.

"**[Appraisal: Arms]** Skill learned." My HUD states.

"There would be more, but I need materials in order to make em for you." The shopkeep stated.

"I'll keep that in mind." I then try to reach out towards the mace, but like in the source material, the weapon rejects me.

"Oh and I forgot to mention." I stated. "I'm also a summoned Hero."

"Wait, A HERO!?" The shopkeep yelled out.

I winced upon his sudden yelling.

"Oh... uh, sorry if I bothered you." The shopkeep stated.

"It's all right." I whimpered out. "I'm just a little adverse to loud noises." Then I rub my ears before continuing. "Also, I left the King's little shindig and found myself here."

"You know that means that the King's guards are going to look for you, right?"

"Eh, fuck that old coot." I replied while flipping a bird. "I don't like the look on his eyes. There's nothing but spite and contempt in there."

"Can't blame him for it though." The shopkeep stated. "Ever since his sister was murdered by a demi-human, the King's heart froze and shriveled up black in an instant."

"Passive Skill, **[Investigate]**, active." My HUD stated.

"Tell me." I asked. "Why did his sister get murdered in the first place?"

"That information is confidential to the public." The shopkeep answered.

"Well, sorry for wasting your time." I then pick up a chainmail.

"That'll be 5 pieces of silver." The shopkeep stated.

I then take out the allotted price and place it in his hands.

"Umm, one question." I asked the shopkeep. "Should I wear the chainmail under or over?"

"Your choice." He stated. "Why you're bringing that up?"

"I don't have a coin pouch." I stated. "It got cut open so I had to ditch it, pick up a couple coins I can take, and make a run for it." I lied.

"I see." The shopkeep stated. "Give me a sec'." He then goes back to his counter to retrieve something.

"**[Consummate Liar]** title unlocked." My HUD stated.

"Here." The shopkeep then hands me a reinforced leather pouch. "Consider that a complementary gift as your first time doing business here."

"**[Favorite Customer]** title unlocked." My HUD stated.

I then take off my hoodie and put the metallic-blue chainmail over my white t-shirt.

"How's is it?" The shopkeep asked.

"A little heavy..." I jumped up and down, feeling the weight. "But I'll get used to it."

I then put on my hoodie back before I left the door. "Oh, before I leave, what's your name?"

The shopkeep lets out a laughter before he slaps his hands onto my shoulders. "The name's Elhart, but you can call me whatever."

"Alright sir." I then head out the door. "I'll see you soon!"

"Come again, ya' hear!?" He yelled out as the door closed behind me.

I then make my way out towards the castle town underneath the dusk sky.

Then I try to make a turn towards the alleyway, but before I could proceed, a message pops up in my HUD.

**WARNING**

**The area further ahead has random encounters that are several levels higher than your current level.**

**Should you enter, your chance of death will be increased to drastic levels.**

**Would you like to proceed regardless of being underleveled?**

**[YES]**

**[NO]**

I grit my teeth.

If what the shopkeep said about the royal guards coming for me is proven true, then that means that I'll have to fight them with a book chained to my wrist.

But beyond the darkness lies an important objective.

Allies, connections, and a way to fight against this cruel world that I've been thrust into.

All because I wanted to take a piss ten minutes before midnight.

I swallow my remaining fear with a gulp.

My answer was clear.

**[YES]**

"**[Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained]** title unlocked." My HUD stated.

"Wait..." I then remembered the game I played frequently having a similar title system.

Thank you,_ Elsword_.

I then open up my menu, only to see a new tab labeled [Titles List].

I open it by tapping my finger on it, revealing a long list of titles. But then I see a tab labeled as [Show Unlocked].

I press onto it, leaving behind a checkmark on the box, and the title list narrows down to only the ones that I've earned.

I click on **[Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained]**.

**[Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained]**

**"Adversity breeds strength. To live means to suffer. Show them the true meaning of power."**

**+50% to all stats when facing a higher-level enemy.**

**+1.5% bonus experience upon defeating a higher-level enemy.**

I press the "equip" button and then I look at my main menu.

**Name: Nan Hon-Jah**** [Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained] **

"Huh." I huffed. "Not bad."

I then head into the darkness, where surely my fate was to be changed forever.

"I'll check the other titles later." Then the alleyways became my very first dungeon.

I continue to look around my new surroundings with the utmost precision and care.

"**[Compass]** Skill learned." The HUD announced.

"HEY!" A voice calls out for me ahead.

I then see two royal guards with lanterns and polearms coming my way. In the HUD, I then see their levels upon getting a clear visual.

**[Royal Guard A, Level 5]**

**[Royal Guard B, Level 7]**

And I was only _Level 1_, without any battle skills-

"**[Chastise]** Combat Skill unlocked." The HUD announced.

... Okay, now I can somewhat fight back.

"This is the end of the line!" Royal Guard A stated.

"Come with us quietly, or we will use force!" Royal Guard B gestures towards his polearm.

I merely ready my book.

"THEN DIE!" Royal Guard B then charges as he swings down his halberd.

I block the shaft's trajectory with the chain linked to my book. In desperation, I ran forward with my book held in my hand as I swung the book's rim to his face.

"[Chastise]!" My book glows in a white light, as I slam the book's frame onto the Royal Guard B's nose as hard as I could, letting out a sickening crunch upon impact.

The Royal Guard B kneels in pain, holding onto his broken and bleeding nose.

"YOU BASTARD!" The other Royal Guard then thrusts his polearm towards me.

"[Chastise]!" I then slide between his legs and land a hard and swift chop onto his balls with my book.

When I turn around and look at the downed [Royal Guards] through the HUD, I then see a yellow lightning symbol underneath their name cards.

"[Stun] huh..." I muttered. "... Neat."

**"Glad you like it."** A voice called out to my brain.

I then look at my book, only to find its pages open, _licking_ the blood off of the floor.

**"Sup kid."** The book with _teeth_ spoke out.

I scramble back onto my rear while screaming manically until I hit my head against the wall.

I swear, looking back, I made Light Turner from Death Note 2017 look _calm_ in comparison (And yes, I sort of enjoyed the movie, do not judge)

Then again, it was useless to run away from a carnivorous book that was chained to my wrist, so yeah.

... Not exactly the greatest show of cognitive stability.

**"It's alright, kid."** The book spoke out. **"I ain't gonna bite."**

I then crawled towards my "book" and took a closer look onto it.

It was still the same book, but with several alterations.

The whitish-silver layer covering the pages with the zigzag groove running through the middle was now opened up to reveal a set of metal teeth, its gem on the center of the cover was now housing a small black dot, making the white orb resemble an eye, and inside its "pages", was a warm, fluid, and _alive_ tongue.

"W-Who are you!?" I asked.

"Ehh... can't say really." The book stated. "I mean, its been so long-"

I immediately notice that one of the [Royal Guards] on my HUD that his [Stun] stat has worn off.

"You bastard..." He said in a shaky tone. Apparently, his balls were still blue. "... I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!"

With a yell the enemy charges wobbly.

"We might want to discuss this later."

**"Agreed."** The tome then turns its ugly head towards the [Royal Guard B]. **"Oh and here."**

Another message appears in my HUD.

"**[Bite]** Combat skill learned." The message read out.

"Whatever works." I muttered as I slowly stood as the [Royal Guard B] stumbles towards me lance-first. "[Bite]!"

The book then pounces upon [Royal Guard B] like a rabid rottweiler upon a rabbit.

The book sinks its teeth into enemy's shoulder and neck, spraying blood onto my face like a sanguine garden hose.

I wipe off the blood my face.

The scent of fresh blood on my face permeates my nostrils.

I then hear the sound of flesh ripping off of the bones of the [Royal Guard].

I look at the book, only to see it eat the body piecemeal like a wolf upon a deer.

[Royal Guard A] looks at his comrade's current state, and another icon appears below his name card.

A black skull.

"[Horror]?" Why does that sound familiar?

... Oh right, Darkest Dungeon (Marvin Seo and Element5 were my "sources").

Or is it just _my_ perception of this world (does that mean the [Poison] status will be stated as [Blight] instead?)?

"Either way, works just fine for me..." I muttered as I swallowed my vomit back along with my fears. "Hey."

The tome turns its "head" towards me. **"What is it?"**

"You see that fucker over there?" I pointed towards the [Horror] inflicted [Royal Guard A].

The tome _smiles_.

"[Bite]."

All I heard afterwards was the pained screams of [Royal Guard A] being eaten alive by my weapon.

"**[The Punisher]** title unlocked."

**[The Punisher]**

**"Men get arrested. Dogs get put down."**

**All Evil-aligned enemies receive +15% overall damage from all attacks executed by the [Enigmatic Tome]**

**All Evil-aligned enemies receive -15% aliment resistances upon [Tome Hero]'s entry into the battlefield**

I then look upon the moonlit sky.

My whole body was shaking.

My so-called innocence was ripped away like a ragged curtain.

Because I already knew.

**+175 EXP Points**

**Level: 1 ➡ 5**

**Attack: 5 ****➡ 11**

**Defense: 2 ****➡ 8 (+2)**

**Agility: 3 ****➡ 6**

**Luck: 4 ****➡ 8**

**HP: 75 ****➡ 120**

**MP: 150 ****➡ 190 (+20)**

_Tonight's_ the night of no turning back.

Not just for the F_our Heroes_.

Not just for _me_.

Not just for _everyone_ in this world.

But reality itself is about to get _skullfucked_ beyond comprehension from this point on.

I knew. Because I read the source material.

**"H-Hey kid."** The book talked to me while blood freshly crusted its "lips".** "You alright?"**

I looked at the book chained to my wrist with a wide-eyed look on my face.

"I now know how a woman feel when her hymen gets ripped." I replied.

**"Uhh... okay."** The book stated.

"Sorry..." I sighed out. "I'm not exactly subtle when I'm spooked."

**"... We'll work on that."** The book then approaches towards me. **"So, what's your name?"**

"Nan." I spoke out. "Nan Hon-Jah. You?"

**"Can't remember."** He stated. **"I been out of it for so long that I can't remember my name."**

"Then can I give you one?" I asked. "You know, until you remember who you really were."

**"Make it good, kiddo."** The tome stated.

"Hmm..." I stewed on in my brain. "Okay, keywords time."

Then various thoughts began to rush through my head.

_"Book... Black Clover... Brothers... GOT IT!"_

I then turn towards the sentient tome and drag it towards me.

**"Hey hey HEY!"** The tome barked out.** "Don't scratch the paint job!"**

"Sorry, too excited." I heaved out.

**"Alright, hero."** The tome talked out. **"What do you got for me?"**

I smiled. "_Grimm_."

**"Hmm... 9 out of 10. It's sold."** Grimm then floats towards my face. **"Treat me well and make sure to feed me at least once a week, got it?"**

"Yes sir." I saluted.

Grimm then closes itself as the chains wrap around my arm, with Grimm himself on top of my wrist like a Duel Disk.

I then continue down the alleyway, dodging random thugs while robbing them blind (One coin per person, of course).

"**[Phantom Thief]** title unlocked." A message on my HUD states.

I then click on it for info.

**[Phantom Thief]**

**"Kiss all of your gold goodbye."**

**Doubles the amount of gold stolen while using [Five-Finger Discount] skill**

**+5 to Agility & Luck stats**

I then equip the skill to give myself lighter feet, going from **[Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained]** to **[Phantom Thief]**.

I'll equip **[The Punisher]** once I cross "that" bridge.

... Now I know how Nami from One Piece feels like now. Let's just hope that it doesn't come across the point where I end up dry-humping a golden pillar.

"Ah, excuse me." An elderly yet gentlemanly voice spoke out.

I then turn to my right to see a familiar-looking figure. Granted, he's not exactly a epitome of morals due to his... _profession_, but right now, it matters _not_.

"I know who you are." I spoke out bluntly. "And I'd like to do business with you."

The man smiles. "Then follow me back to my tent. I'm sure that you'll find what you need once we reach there."

I then give him a thumbs up as me and the gentleman disappear into the darkness and out of the moonlight.

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**Author's notes: **

And here we have our very first enemy encounter. Suffice to say, they don't fade away like JRPG mooks. Bodies will be left behind, and good ol' Grimm will be there to eat em' up.

Two down, and only four more to go until the party is assembled.

I've added the "Title System" for my fic to shake things up.

Because it just adds more layer and character to the canon characters, now does it?

And that does it for Epic 2.

Let me know what you guys think by leaving a comment or a review, and I wish you all good day, and wish me luck on the fact that now I'm juggling _four_ fanfics all at the _same time_.

God knows that I'll need it...

... Or a break for that matter.


	3. Epic 3: The Encounter

**_Continuing self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

**_Epic 3: The Encounter_**

* * *

As me and the gentleman made our way through the pitch-black alleyway, he and I talked for a bit.

"So tell me..." The gentleman spoke in a quiet tone. "What brings you to me?"

"I need allies." I replied. "Ever since I spited the King himself, I now need someone that will never betray me."

The gentleman chuckles for a bit. "My, paranoid, aren't you?"

I just grumble as an ambiguous response.

Then a light then shines at towards the end.

Eventually, we reach a clearing where stands a red and white circus tent.

_"Yep, I'm here."_

The slave-trade shop. Not exactly where a sane individual would go willingly, but if a _slave trader_ was the most trustworthy person in this fucking place, then you realize that this world is beyond fucked up.

Then again, I've accepted that since I read the first chapter of this whole fucking series.

"This way." The slave trader then leads me into the tent entrance.

Around me were nothing but cages.

Lots and lots of cages.

Monsters, werebeasts, and of course, the obligatory _human and demi-human cargo_.

"Excuse the slightly unsettling atmosphere." The slave trader stated. "But then again, I suspect that you knew what you were dealing with."

"Knowing does not make it any less pleasant, you know." I gagged. "But then again, I've already killed two people in an alleyway, so you might think that I'm already used to it..."

"Hmm. So that's why you're covered in blood." The slave trader then hands me clean towel.

"Thanks." I then try to wipe the blood caked on my face. By the time that I was done, I find the once-pure-white towel now haphazardly dyed in brownish-red.

... Rule of symbolism? Maybe.

But right now, I've got business to attend.

I then head towards where the trader was at.

"So, you wish to buy something today?" The trader asked.

"I would like to check your inventory, so please."

He and I then walk by rows and rows of cages.

He then stops by where a [Werejaguar, Level 67] was snarling behind its bars.

"He's the best I've got in stock." The trader asked. "You interested?"

"Nah." I replied. "Too wild for me. Don't you have anything a bit more... I dunno, _sapient_?"

"You mean demi-humans?"

"[Fated Encounter] Skill, active." My HUD messaged.

"Bingo." I replied.

"This way then." He then guided me towards another aisle of cages.

Then I see a cage covered in a tarp where I can hear faint sounds of coughing.

_"Raphtalia."_ I thought.

I would buy her early and save her, but if the story were to subvert the "for want of a nail" trope from this action, then its for the best to not to intervene.

Plus, I ain't Naofumi.

I'm my own character.

... But that doesn't mean I won't lend a helping hand.

But first, _me_.

I continued to look through the selection of my possible allies.

Majority of them looked like they were in their early teens maximum, with a few of them around the ages of five or six at youngest.

Then I look at two demi-human slaves held in same cage.

"[Fated Encounter] Skill, active." My HUD announced.

"So those two then." I muttered.

Looking closer, I then begin to note their features.

One was a boyish-looking wolf demi-human with a pure-white coat tail and ears with topaz eyes glowing in the murky darkness.

The other was an arctic fox demi-human with a greyish-white tail and ears, and her eyes were in a dark-blue hue.

I then try out my [Analyze] Skill to see their stats.

**Name: ?**

**Class: [Slave]**

**Level: 1**

**Affinities****: Not Yet Determined**

**Equipment: [Slave Collar]**

**Attack: 7**

**Defense: 5**

**Agility****: 5**

**Luck: 1**

**HP: 120**

**MP: 40**

I then check the other to see if the fox-girl has a name.

**Name: ?**

**Class: [Slave]**

**Level: 1**

**Affinities: Not Yet Determined**

**Equipment****: [Slave Collar]**

**Attack: 3**

**Defense: 1**

**Agility: 4**

**Luck: 2**

**HP: 60**

**MP: 175**

No names.

"Umm, excuse me." I asked the trader.

"Yes?" He replied.

"Do they have names?" I asked.

"Normally, once a demi-human becomes a slave, they usually have their former identities erased, but a handful of them do remember their old names." He then approaches towards me, eyeing towards the cage next to me. "But these two however, are an odd case."

"In what regard?" I asked.

"They don't have names." He answered. "One source tells me that their parents died before they could be given a name or the fact that the bookkeeper got lazy and skipped over a few serial numbers. Maybe that's why he got fired from his job a while back..."

"I'll take em'." I answered. "How much?"

"Hmm..." The merchant rubbed his chin. "I'd say about 10 pieces of silver for each of them, but considering that you seem to be an experienced buyer who knows how to spend money, I'm offering a _special deal_."

"I'm all ears." I then reequip my [Phantom Thief] title to [Favorite Customer].

**[Favorite Customer]**

**"Pleasure doin' business with ya'!"**

**Successes of bargaining and haggling increase by 20%**

**Discounts increased by 20%**

"How about _14 pieces_ of silver for the two of them?" The merchant stated.

I then reach into my hoodie pocket and pull out my bag of gold.

"Do you accept change?" I then pull out a gold coin.

"Ho ho ho." He chuckled. "I like you already." He then takes the coin and gives me six pieces of silver in return.

_"One gold equals twenty silver, got it."_ I noted in my brain.

"**[Memorize]** Skill learned." My HUD announced.

The merchant then unlocks the cage, letting the two out.

I then head towards where the slaves get their brands resigned to their new "masters".

"Here." The merchant then hands me a penknife. "I need your blood."

I then take the blade with my_ trembling_ hands.

I usually don't have a problem handling sharp objects, but when said object is pointed towards me, then I have an issue.

I close my eyes, and let my instincts do the rest.

I then open my eyes after a sting runs across my thumb.

"Huh. That wasn't too bad-"

Blood then spouts out like a geyser.

"OH SHIT! I CUT TOO DEEP!" I screeched in pain while spraying blood everywhere.

**One bandage and mop-up later...**

"Oh that fucking smarts..." I groaned.

"Next time, I'll do it for you, understood?" The merchant stated. "Can't have you paying for the cleanup, let alone, scaring away my customers."

I nod as he then begins to re-brand the two's marks on their chests.

Two painful light shows later, my HUD then sends me the following message:

**[Enter Name]**

The message was pointed towards the wolf-boy.

I then give it some thought, trying to balance between meaningful and badass.

**[Garou]**

"I shall call you 'Garou'." I told the wolf-boy. "Call me whatever you wish. I care not for formalities."

"Yes... sir." Garou spoke out.

[Garou] is then added to my [Party List].

Another HUD message is then sent to me.

**[Enter Name]**

"Hmm..." I then looked for some options.

_"Got it."_ I then type in the new name for the fox-girl.

**[Fubuki]**

"Your name is now 'Fubuki'." I addressed to the fox-girl. "I hope we get along."

The girl wordlessly nods.

"Thank you for your patronage!" The trader stated.

"Oh! And one last thing before I go." I spoke towards the merchant.

"Oh? Pray tell, what is it?" He asked.

"If you see a guy with a shield that looks like he's been through hell... actually, hold on, can I leave a note for him?"

He then hands me a piece of paper and a bottle of ink.

"Alright then." I then activate [Master Linguist] Skill to write out the note in Japanese.

In real life, I never got to learn proper Japanese, but thanks to this skill, I somehow managed to gain the knowledge of being able to write and understand Japanese by simply talking to the Four Heroes, all of them who were Japanese.

Guess I do learn as I go.

"Oh and here." I then lay down a single gold coin for him. "A little gift from me to him." I then finish writing my little note, which read something like this:

**_To Naofumi,_**

**_Just to let you know, I'm on your side._**

**_Even though that you're not going to trust anyone anytime soon, I understand._**

**_Which is why I must leave a message._**

_**After the "First Wave" passes, I'll rendezvous with you back at the castle to tell you what I've discovered about this world and who I really am.**_

_**After that, we'll go our separate ways, trying to mitigate the ensuing damage that'll be brought upon the other three so-called heroes.**_

_**Call me crazy, but please.**_

_**You have to trust me.**_

_**\- Nan Hon-Jah**_

_**P.S.: Keep this letter as a sign of proof that you read my message and show it to me when you see me at the castle.**_

"Do you have a wax stamp?" I asked the merchant.

He then hands me a candle lamp with melted wax in the dish below.

"Good enough." I then pour out the wax slowly into a circle. Once the wax forms a circle, I then press my thumb onto it, forming a crude seal.

_**Also, leave the seal intact.**_

"Give it to him after he buys something here, got it?" I asked the merchant.

"Wait, can't you just leave it to the post office?" He replied.

"Look sir, the Crown itself is after my head, and so is the guy that I'm giving the message to." I replied. "You get what I mean?"

With a sigh, the merchant takes the letter and places it into his pocket. "Alright. But I'm only doing this once. And that's because I happened to like you."

"I only need the one." I then take Garou and Fubuki with me outside.

The two then follow me outside, fidgeting.

"So..." I tried to talk to them. "How does it feel to go outside-"

I then bump into someone, stopping me in my tracks.

I then look up, only to see more [Royal Guards].

"Well shit." I muttered. "Of course there would be more of you clankers running around here..."

I then look at the lineup.

**[Royal Guard Mage, Level 4]**

**[Royal Guard Captain, Level 7]**

**[Royal Guard Swordsman, Level 4]**

"Alright then." I then slowly get up. "You two, stay behind me."

Garou and Fubuki then cling onto my pants.

"Well, well." [Royal Guard Captain] spoke out in a mocking tone. "Looks like our little bookworm has slaves!"

"He's in real trouble now..." [Royal Guard Swordsman] remarked.

"He shall be brought to justice in the name of the Crown..." [Royal Guard Mage] declared as he lights his staff.

"Grimm." I called out.

The [Enigmatic Tome] then unravels itself around my arm.

**"Ugh... Is it already dinner?"** The book yawned out.

"Nope, it's dessert." I remarked as I switched out my [Favorite Customer] to [The Punisher].

"Attack!" The captain ordered his fellow [Royal Guards].

"Fireball!" The caster fires out a ball of fire.

"Get down!" I then tackle hug the two down, but at the cost of my favorite hoddie.

"HEY YOU BASTARD!" I roared out. "THAT WAS MY FAVORITE-"

I then hear steel clash against each other, and next to me was Grimm biting down on [Royal Guard Swordsman]'s sword.

**"Sup kid."** The tome mumbled out. **"To your nine."**

"Fireball!" Another fireball shoots towards me.

The fires strike me, but I myself was unharmed.

In fact, I was just a little toasty.

... Except for my hoodie. That thing that I bought for $40 was _history_ now.

Upon seeing my red hoodie plop to the ground in a burning heap, I then become rather... _upset_.

"Grimm."

His "eye" then turns to me.

"Teach me how to fight."

Then a message appears on my HUD.

"Use [Analyze] Skill on the [Royal Guard Mage]."

I nod with a cold glare.

"[Analyze]." Then my HUD then scans the mage.

**Tip [Analyze]: **

**The [Tome Hero] has the ability to copy other enemies's ****abilities.**

**After using [Analyze], the user can learn the scanned enemy's skill after being struck!**

**This skill will also reveal the full statsheet of the scanned enemy. However, as of now, you can only scan one enemy at a time.**

**[Analyze] many enemies as possible! See what happens!**

Then [Royal Guard Mage]'s statsheets appear on my HUD in full detail.

**Name: [Royal Guard Mage]**

**Class: [Mage]**

**Level: 4**

**Affinities****: Fire**

**Alignment****: Lawful Evil**

**Item Drops : [****Basic Staff] (75%), [****White Robe] (55%), [Mana Potions x1] (20%)**

**Attack: 6**

**Defense: 2**

**Agility: 4**

**Luck: 4**

**HP: 50**

**MP: 200**

The mage then lights his staff once more.

"So I can learn it upon being struck, huh?" I then brace myself.

"Fireball!" The ball of fire then bounces off of my technocolor chainmail.

"**[Fireball]** Skill learned." The HUD announced.

_"Fuck yeah."_ I then turn back to Grimm, still holding the sword in place. "Grimm!"

**"YEAH!?"** The tome mumbled.

I then cast [Analyze] on the [Royal Guard Swordsman].

**Name: [Royal Guard Swordsman]**

**Class: Fighter**

**Level: 4**

**Affinities****: Lightning**

**Alignment: Lawful Evil**

**Item Drops: [Longsword] (75%), [Basic Chainmail] (75%), [Health Potions x1] (15%)**

**Attack: 8**

**Defense: 4**

**Agility: 2**

**Luck: 3**

**HP: 120**

**MP: 20**

I learn his later. Until then...

"[Bite]."

Grimm then bites down upon the [Longword], causing it to snap.

"[Bite]."

Grimm then lunges onto the Swordsman's neck, eating out his throat.

I then eye the other [Royal Guards], both now inflicted with the [Horror] stat.

"Garou." I call out.

"Y-Yes!?" The wolf-boy stutters.

"Loot that guy bare."

The wolf boy then shuffles through the corpse, excavating a [Basic Chainmail] and a [Health Potion x1].

"Now then..." I then turn to the [Royal Guard Captain]. "And now..."

"G-GET AWAY!" The _mob_ then pulls out a short sword.

**"[Analyze]."**

**Name: [Royal Guard Captain]**

**Class: Fighter**

**Level: 7**

**Affinities****: Water**

**Alignment: Neutral Evil**

**Item Drops: [Short Sword] (60%), [Plate Armor] (45%), [Health Potions x1] (25%), [Mana Potions x1] (25%)**

**Attack: 9**

**Defense: 7**

**Agility: 1**

**Luck: 2**

**HP: 150**

**MP: 50**

I then raise my arm.

Heat then envelops my fingers.

My first spell.

"[Fireball]."

... Did I forget to mention that I have a shitty throwing arm?

The [Fireball] barely lasts _two seconds_ in the air before flopping onto the ground.

"..."

And that's why I don't play sports.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" [Royal Guard Captain] bellows out. "MAN, WHAT A SUCKER-"

I then chuck Grimm onto his face, knocking him out stone-cold on his back.

The [Stun] mark appears below his stat card.

"... Let's do this right this time." Then I land my ass onto his chest.

I then place my right hand onto his face.

Okay, who's watched Castlevania 2018? Or played enough D&D to know this obscure reference?

For those of you who meet said criteria, this might look a little familiar...

"[Fireball]." I then proceed to _burn_ his head off of his neck until his steel helmet turns into a macabre _ashtray_.

I then face the [Royal Guard Mage], noticing a rather peculiar-looking spot on his robe.

It really didn't take a genius to figure out that pencil-neck over there pissed himself.

Hopefully, the [White Robes] remain unstained.

"Oi Garou!" I called out the wolf boy.

"Yes!?" The boy yipped out.

"Here." I then take the dropped [Short Sword] and handed it to Garou. "You see that guy over there?"

The wolf-boy nods.

I then smile.

"Stab that bastard to death." I ordered.

Before the chest rune can glow, the boy then runs toward the downed mage.

The [Royal Guard Mage] then tries to retaliate.

"F-Fire-!"

"[Chastise]!" I then slug Grimm onto that guy's face.

[Stun] once more takes place upon the bastard's name card, giving Garou an ample opportunity to deliver the deathblow.

"W-Wait-!"

His pleas were cut off by his lungs being _excavated_ out of his chest.

**+250 EXP**

**[Nan Hon-Jah] Level: 5****➡7**

**[Garou] Level: 1****➡6**

**[Fubuki] Level: 1****➡6**

"**[To Arms!]** title, unlocked." My HUD announced.

I'll check it later, but for now, looting.

[Basic Staff], [White Robes], [Basic Chainmail], [Short Sword], and [Health Potion x1]. Judging by their statlines, Garou's was more inclined to be a frontliner while Fubuki was more backline, like me.

"Alright, kiddies." I then hand Garou and Fubuki their "starter equipment". "Dress up."

Upon seeing the two fumble and struggle with their new gear over their old rags, I then help them out with putting them on.

"Alright." I backed away from the two. "You look a lot more presentable."

Fubuki then raises her hand.

"Yes!? What is it!?" I pointed towards her.

Really gotta kill that habit, but now's not the time.

"A-A-Are we going to..." She stuttered.

I already from the looks of it that she was not much of a talker, but it would be rather rude for me to cut her off.

So I let her finish.

"...h-have to kill p-people?" She finished.

I then let out a sigh.

Talking to people, especially to kids, was never my strong suit.

My social ineptitude was so bad that I actively go out of my way of not using any form of social media aside from my email.

Call me old-fashioned, but I'm basically a _90s kid_ born in the 21st Century.

Fuck it, I going to do it as I've always done.

I'm goin' in blunt.

"... Let's just say that its either them or us." I smiled feebly.

The horrified look of realization begins to form on her face.

"... Word of advice?" I try to salvage the situation from the mud. "Stay close to... well _us_."

"He has a point, sis." Garou then turns his blood-splattered face towards his twin. "In fact, I already had my first."

Tears then begin to form in Fubuki's eyes.

"... All of you for now, try not to get lost, you hear?" With that said, I then take my newfound party on towards the beginning of our journey.

... Which mostly consisted of me, Grimm, Garou, and Fubuki killing literally every [Royal Guard] in our way until daylight, _non-stop_.

During our little tour throughout this killing field, we've managed to run into [Royal Guards] and [Thugs] alike, and all of them were more then generous to drop lots and lots of [Health Potions] and [Mana Potions].

By daylight, we were all covered in blood, and our levels_ tripled_ within the last six hours of red-room-like carnage.

Thank you, [The Punisher].

"Grimm..." I panted out. "You carried the whole team, ya know that?"

**"Thanks, but those new kiddies of yours managed to hold up just fine..."**

Behind me, Garou and Fubuki were ragged as rag dolls caught in the world's most chaotic furry orgy.

... At least they've gotten used to the slight of blood, gore, and Grimm eating those poor bastards alive like a fat kid through a cookie store.

In fact, we all have the looks of legit adventurers now. And all we have to do is to find a way to wash all this blood off of ourselves.

... Actually, we _all_ kinda smell like shit right now.

"Grimm." I spoke out. "Longshot, but do you have any cloaks?"

Grimm then spits out three white cloaks.

"... It'll do."

We then cover ourselves until we reach the outskirts.

Along the way, I overhear on the rumors of Naofumi being convicted of raping the princess and subsequently, got all of his financial support cut.

_"... I'll have to wait. I'll have to wait until the time of deviation comes to light..."_

Then, nature.

... With a shitload of [Orange Balloons] coming towards our way.

"Alright kiddies." I then clap my hands. "Time for target practice."

Garou then draws his [Short Sword] and starts slicing through the joke mobs.

Fubuki then begins to whack the balloons with her [Basic Staff].

I, on the other hand...

"[Analyze] [Analyze] [Analyze] [Analyze] [Analyze] [Analyze] [Analyze] [Analyze] [Analyze]..."

... Yeah.

Although in my defense, Grimm did try to eat one.

... He immediately spat it back out.

"Mister!" Garou and Fubuki ran towards me. "We've got all of them!"

Then I ruffle their heads.

"[Fated Encounter] Skill activated." My HUD announced out of the blue.

Wait, what?

Out of the bushes, came out more balloons, but they were _not_ orange.

"You two, stay back." I then cast [Analyze] on these unfamiliar creatures.

**[Metal Balloon x3]**

**Class: [Rare Encounter]**

**Level: 3, 4, 6**

**Affinities****: Dark**

**Item Drops: [Iron Ingot x3] (100%), [Iron Tooth x6] (50%)**

**Attack: 8-14**

**Defense: 9-17**

**Agility: 1-2**

**Luck: 0**

**HP: 5-10**

**MP: 0**

Oh fucking brilliant. They're basically this world's equivalent of Metal Slimes from Dragon Quest...

... Wait, I never checked my [Fated Encounter] Skill, now did I?

Upon the realization, I then checked the said skill.

**[Fated Encounter]**

**Skill Type: Passive**

**Increases encounter rate with rarer monster variants.**

**Gives a notification should the rare encounter occur.**

Both as a blessing and a curse. Alright. I'll bite.

The [Metal Balloon] then bounces towards me.

"Grimm!"

The grimoire then bites down onto the balloon, but the balloon does _not_ pop.

"... Oh right, _metal_." I then light my hand with a [Fireball] ready. "[Fireball]!"

I smack it towards the [Metal Balloon] caught between Grimm's teeth, causing it to explode, killing it dead.

And by dead, I mean it explodes into shrapnel. A few bits of iron scrape my skin.

"Of course, they also have to be nature's answer to pineapple grenades..." I grimly remarked. "You two! Keep your distance!"

The two nod as they make their way behind covers.

"Now then..." I was now hit, meaning that I can learn their skills. "[Analyze]."

My HUD then sends me a message.

"**[Burst Mine]** Skill learned."

"Let's try that out." Then a circle with an arc shows up on my HUD, like some sort of a grenade launcher in TPS. "[Burst Mine]!"

The spot then glows, and when the [Metal Balloon] jumps onto it, the ground explodes, killing it.

And this time around, I stay far enough to avoid the shrapnel.

"Two down!" I then hear Fubuki scream.

I turn my head around, seeing the fox-girl begin chased by a [Metal Balloon]. Normally, a girl being chased away by a [Balloon] monster, but considering the fact that these guy are literally, mind you,_ fucking_ pineapple grenades, then the image doesn't strike you as funny now, does it!?

"Fubuki! Keep running!" I cried out as I then ready myself to cast [Fireball].

Target acquired. "NOW DUCK!"

The fox-girl then plops to the ground with her head covered.

"[Fireball]!" The magic then shoots toward the [Metal Balloon]'s mouth.

The balloon explodes into shrapnel.

"FUBUKI!" I then run towards the downed fox-girl. "You alright!?"

"I-I'm fine!" She panted out. Her body was covered in a few cuts and burns.

"Attagirl." I then hand her a [Health Potion]. "Slowly."

I remove the cork for her, and she drinks the red liquid slowly.

Once ingested, the cuts then begin to heal on their own.

"Sis!" Garou then runs toward where Fubuki. "Thank god she's alright..."

"Good work, you two." I also hand the wolf-boy a vial while I take the blue vial.

We both ingest our intakes. I myself feel quite refreshed, with my brain being a little... calmer.

Guess using mana strains the brain and accelerates blood flow in it.

"[Fated Encounter], active."

"What now!?" I cried out. "You two, get ready!"

The two then ready themselves for combat.

Something flies out of the bushes.

A bird with an eyeball for a head...

... It was not a [Balloon], that's for sure.

**[Bird Eye]**

**Class: [Phantasmal Encounter]**

**Level: ?**

**Affinity: ?**

**Item Drops: None**

**Attack: 0**

**Defense: 0**

**Agility: 9,999**

**Luck: 9,999**

**HP: 1**

**MP: 1**

Okay, a dodgetank.

A relatively harmless one.

"Now what, master?" Garou spoke out.

"It seems to be doing nothing." I stated.

Then my HUD sends me a message.

**[Bird Eye]: Would you like to make a contract with me?**

**[Yes]**

**[No]**

Wait, what?

Am I actually doing this shit?

This Shin Megami Tensei shit!?

... I'm in.

**[Yes]**

The [Bird Eye] then begins to glow.

**[Bird Eye]: Then thy contract has been established. Thy name is [Bird Eye]. Me and my flock of 1 million shall be your eyes and ears.**

"[Summon] Skill learned." My HUD then sends another message. "[Bird Eye] has been added to [Summon] Skill."

Did the bird said _one million_?

... I then check my [Summon] on my menu.

**Tip [Summon]:**

**Congrats! You now registered your very first [Summon]!**

**[Summon] is the ability to forge a contract with encounters so that they can be called to your side a your beck and call!**

**Alternatively, [Summon]s can be acquired by using [Analyze] on the same monster a certain number of times.**

**[Summon] many monsters as possible! Overwhelm the foolish opposition with your personal army!**

... I can dig it.

"**[Fledgling Conqueror]** title unlocked."

I then check the title.

**[Fledgling Conqueror]**

**"Our conquest begins here! Everyone! Follow me!"**

**[Summon] skills cost -10% mana**

**[Summon] monsters gain +10% to all stats**

Then I check the [Summon], and see something rather odd.

**[Orange Balloon]: 18/20**

... I'll do that when I have free time. Then I check my [Bird Eye].

**[Bird Eye]**

**Skill: [Auto-Analyze]: [Analyze] Skill becomes a Passive Skill when active**

I then put the two and two together.

"OHHH KIDS...!?" I holler out.

Garou and Fubuki gather towards me.

"... Give me a hug." I then glomp the two into my arms.

"A-Ah, master!?" Fubuki stuttered out.

"Y-You're crushing me..." Garou groaned.

"Oh! Sorry!" I then let go of the two. Then, I clear my throat. "Good news, kiddies!"

I beamed as the two looked at me with confused faces.

"Grimm!"

The chained tome then floats towards my hand.

**"You seem pretty excited."** The tome stated.

"Oh shush. Just let me have my moment." I then open up Grimm as I began to activate my new skill.

"[Summon- Bird Eye]!"

A flock of one million eyeball-headed birds soar out of Grimm's pages.

The kids then stumble onto their rears upon seeing the flock shooting out towards the sky.

The flock then turns invisible to the naked eye upon dispersing into individual birds.

"... Will they be alright?" Fubuki asked.

I then look at my [Summon].

"**[Orange Balloon]** added to [Summon]." My HUD stated.

"We'll be just fine." I smiled.

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

Author's Note:

The [Tome Hero] plays like the hybrid of the Blue Mage and the Summoner from the Final Fantasy franchise.

The whole class revolves around learning skills by actually learning them on the fly. And if they copy that monster a certain amount of times, that monster will be added to the [Summon] Skill.

Here is the rarity list for the encounters:

**1 Star: [Common Encounter]**

**2 Stars: [Abnormal Encounter]**

**3 Stars: [Rare Encounter]**

**4 Stars: [Phantasmal Encounter]**

**5 Stars: [Legendary Encounter]**

So that means no level-up boons (aside from stats), no animesque-11th-hour power-ups. Everything must be earned not as a reward for killing monsters, but from _actual experience_ rather than from EXP points.

Also on a side note, I will update the Character Stat Sheets every chapter, since doing them mid-chapter is a pain in the ass!

So here you go:

* * *

**Name: [The Punisher], [Nan Hon-Jah]**

**Class: [Tome Hero]**

**Level: 21**

**Affinities****: Not Yet Determined**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Enigmatic Tome, Grimm], [Basic Rune Chainmail]**

**Attack: 24 (+10)**

**Defense: 17 (+3)**

**Agility: 15 (-8)**

**Luck: 21**

**HP: 170 (+10)**

**MP: 200 (+10)**

* * *

**Name: [Garou]**

**Class: [Slave Fighter]**

**Level: 17**

**Affinities****: Not Yet Determined**

**Alignment****: True Neutral**

**Equipment****: [Short Sword], [Basic Chainmail]**

**Attack: 12 (+3)**

**Defense: 11 (+3)**

**Agility: 7 (-2)**

**Luck: 3**

**HP: 180**

**MP: 50**

* * *

**Name: [Fubuki]**

**Class: [Slave Mage]**

**Level: 15**

**Affinities****: Not Yet Determined**

**Alignment****: True Neutral**

**Equipment****: [Basic Staff], [White Robes]**

**Attack: 16**

**Defense: 8 (-2)**

**Agility: 10 (+3)**

**Luck: 4 (+3)**

**HP: 80**

**MP: 210 (+30)**

* * *

Oh, forgot to mention.

Four down, two to go until the whole party is assembled.

So that's all for Epic 3.

Leave a review or a comment if you have anything to say about this self-insert!


	4. Epic 4: The Crossing

**_Continuing self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

**_Epic 4: The Crossing_**

* * *

Night eventually shrouds the sky, bringing Day 1 of my journey to a parallel world to an end.

Next to me were the following.

Garou and Fubuki sleeping on next to the recently-lit campfire.

Normally, I would avoid sleeping outside due to me not being much of an outdoorsmen, and the fact that bugs are a thing.

But the fact is that there are people, armed, mind you, that are currently looking for me, and the fact that a single night's stay at an inn costs money, and the fact that the said inn might get ransacked due to my presence attracting said undesirables.

... Well let's just say that it gives me a reason to save money. I'll probably come back into the walls when me and my party reach at least level 35 _average_.

Because God know that I need to go into another mosh pit _underleveled_. Again.

Until then, my HUD sends me a message.

"[Nocturnal] title unlocked."

"Hey Grimm?" I asked the sentient [Enigmatic Tome] chained to my wrist.

The book opens its "eye" on the central crystal. "What...?"

"Never asked you this, but how do I end up earning titles in the first place?" I asked.

**"You didn't notice?"** The book stated. **"You earn them upon fulfilling certain conditions."**

"So... like for example." I spoke out. "I've earned my [Wayward Hero] title just by leaving the front door of the castle?"

**"Close."** Grimm replied. **"You earned that title by separating yourself from the other heroes."** The book then floats next to me. **"As for the [Nocturnal] title..."**

I then check the recently earned title.

**[Nocturnal]**

**"Nighttime is just another daytime for me."**

**+10% to all stats during nighttime (18:00-6:00)**

**+10% EXP earned during nighttime (18:00-6:00)**

**[Auto-Regen HP] and [Auto-Regen MP] are automatically active as long its nighttime (18:00-6:00) and title is equipped**

**-10% to all stats during daytime (6:00-18:00)**

**-10% EXP earned during daytime (6:00-18:00)**

**-[Burn] status aliment inflicted during daytime (6:00-18:00)**

"Let me guess." I then equip the [Nocturnal] title as I talk. "I've earned [Nocturnal] just by _not_ sleeping for 24 hours straight?"

The book nods.

Makes sense. Upon equipping the title, I suddenly feel way stronger, and above all else, _awake_.

Well, now I have my plan for tonight.

"Hey Grimm?"

**"Yeah?"**

"Night watch?"

**"I'm down for that."**

Grimm and I set ourselves where the two kids were sleeping.

I then check my [Summon] list to see my new powers.

I should probably thank the [Bird Eyes] when I recall them. Those little guys are carrying the team along with Grimm.

Gonna have to pick up the slack by the time the first wave hits. But until then..."

"[Summon- Purple Balloons]." I then summon the purple counterparts of the rank-and-file [Orange Balloon] monsters.

Like the [Metal Balloon]s that me and my party fought back a little while back, [Purple Balloon]s are monsters that have similar stats to their orange counterparts, but their bites pack the [Blight] status.

Basically, _venom_. How lethal? Don't know, don't care. They're _mine_.

... Although I might want to either pack a shitload of [Antivenom], or learn this world's equivalent of_ Esuna_, and _fast_.

Levels and HP matter _not_ if your veins are set ablaze.

With me prevent this world's equivalent of nighttime ambush, I then take this time to look through my skills that I've received from yesterday morning.

**[Master Linguist]**

**Passive Skill**

**Bypasses the passive skill [Language Barrier]**

Thank you.

**[Hyper-Awareness]**

**Passive Skill**

**20% MP Discount when casting Offensive Spells (Skills, Summons)**

I dig it.

**[Charisma Point]**

**Passive Skill**

**Option to cut off conversations in user's discretion**

So a "Skip Dialogue" option. Got it.

**[Investigate]**

**Passive Skill**

**Search the whole area for hidden items or gimmicks**

Might come in handy later.

**[Interrogate]**

**Passive Skill**

**Option to forcibly start conversations to dig up information**

Oh yeah. I'm going to have lots of fun with that.

**[Negotiate]**

**Active Skill**

**Chance to start conversations with random encounters to convince them to join your [Summon]**

**Can only work with random encounters that is not registered in the [Summon] list**

Getting a lot of Persona 5 vibes here...

**[Rebellion]**

**Passive Skill**

**20% boost to all stats when opposing an encounter with anyone within the [Lawful] alignment**

**Chance to ignore encounters with anyone within the [Lawful] alignment**

Oh yeah. That's going to help.

**[Discernment]**

**Passive Skill**

**Chance to rebuke against perceived lies during a dialogue**

Great. Now I'm _Phoenix Wright_.

**[Appraisal: Arms]**

**Passive Skill**

**Allows the user to check the stats of [Equipment] pre-purchase**

... I'm probably going to visit the shop a_ lot_ later on.

**[Compass]**

**Activate?**

**Yes**

**No**

"Meh."

**Yes**

A compass appears on the upper-right corner of my HUD.

Now that all the skills are done, I think it's time to take a look at my other titles that I haven't checked.

**[Wayward Hero]**

**"Who says I'm a hero?"**

**+20% to all stats when facing a [Hero] as an enemy encounter**

Wow.

The foreshadowing isn't even remotely subtle.

**[Fate's Deviant]**

**"Did you know that I suck at listening? Yeah, I'll go do my own thing."**

**+50% to ignore [Order] commands set up by [Royal], [Clergy], or [Divine] figures**

**+10% to all stats when facing a [Royal], [Clergy], or [Divine] ****encounters**

I'll keep this in my back-pocket during late-game. Until then, I'll pull it out once or twice every blue moon.

**[Consummate Liar]**

**"The art of lies and ****deception is simply taking the concept of truth... And turning it and everyone around you on their heads."**

**All dialogue interactions will now have the ****option to use the ****[Lie] skill**

**75% that the [Lie] will be passed**

... Danganronpa V3. I'm calling that out.

That title basically adds Lie Bullets.

And I have zero complaints about this.

**[To Arms!]**

**"No hero fights alone."**

**+20% to all stats to all registered party members**

**+200% bonus EXP for every successful encounter with another group (3 or more) enemy encounter**

Hmm. That's going to be very useful for grinding.

... Or every time me and my party go in the city.

Hey, not my fault that those clankers are walking towards their deaths-.

**"GET DOWN!"** Grimm then lashes out, grabbing a _crossbow bolt_ between its teeth.

"KIDS! WAKE UP!" I yell out as I scramble back up to my feet.

"Sir...?" Garou yawned out. "What's going on-"

Another bolt fires out from the bushes, grazing the wolf-boy on his cheek.

"... SIS! GET UP!" Garou then ducks to the ground, grabbing his sword and shaking the fox-girl awake.

Meanwhile, me and Grimm get to work.

"[Fireball]!" I then sling a ball of flame towards the bushes, setting it on fire.

The unknown assailant reveals itself.

"[Analyze]." I then scan this figure.

**[Blight]**

**Name: [Brigand Ranger]**

**Class: Ranger**

**Level: 9**

**Affinities****: Earth**

**Alignment: Chaotic Evil**

**Item Drops: [Dirk] (50%), [Leather Armor] (45%), [Crossbow] (10%), [Health Potions x1] (25%)**

**Attack: 8**

**Defense: 3**

**Agility: 9**

**Luck: 5**

**HP: 35/140**

**MP: 70**

"TELL ME!" I yelled out as I prepared another [Fireball]. "ARE THERE MORE OF YOU FUCKS RUNNING AROUND!?"

"OF COURSE NOT!" The [Brigand Ranger] spat out as he pulled out his shiv. "THEY'RE ALL DEAD THANKS TO YOUR [Purple Balloons]!"

Garou and Fubuki ready themselves for combat. "Mister! Your orders!"

"Keep close until I give the go." I stated.

"NOW YOU CAN JOIN MY FRIENDS IN HELL!" The cloaked man then charges towards us with the shiv. But before he can get to us any closer, the man falls to face, dropping his shiv.

Now that I think about it, I thought it was weird that he seemed to take us on alone, in the middle of the night.

Then I look at his left leg.

It was _bandaged_, with blood seeping through.

Then I take a closer look at his face.

It was _pale_ as cheese.

He did mention that my [Purple Balloons] attacked his fellows. Did he get bit by one of them?

I then try to ask the man, but his HP bar finally hits zero before I got to do anything.

"Umm... Sir?" Fubuki asked. "What do we do now?" The fox-girl then points her staff towards the now-dead bandit.

"Grimm, can you eat poisoned bodies?" I asked the floating grimoire anchored to my right wrist.

**"I can, but this is my first time, so I'm not sure on what's gonna happen to me if I do."** The book replied.

"Says the book that ate through plate armor and chainmail like a fat man in an all-you-can-eat buffet." I replied.

**"In my defense, I can restructure their forms in ingots while they're in my insides."** He then opens his fanged mouth, regurgitating out several bars of silver-colored iron.

... Did I also forget to mention that they're all covered in sludge-like _mucus_? As in, they all looked like they've been upchucked out of a beast's stomach.

Though then again, that means that I also have to assume that Grimm is indeed, _partially-organic_.

"... How long is it going to take until your stomach can take the poison?" I asked.

**"Until _you_ can."** Grimm stated.

So my options are to either start practicing Mithridatism, or learn a Passive Skill that let me be immune to the [Blight] aliment.

"Hey Grimm." I asked the book that's currently facing me. "How common is a Passive Skill that lets me be immune to poison?"

"You're going to have to look for a [Scroll] then." The book replied.

I then open up my HUD and find a newly posted message.

**Fun Fact!**

**Did you know that [Scroll]s are items that the [Tome Hero] can find to learn exclusive skills?**

**Each [Scroll] contains a long-lost or rare spell that other magic users would sell their very own souls for!**

**They're usually found in [Dungeon] locations!**

**[Dungeon]s can be found anywhere from abandoned mines to unearthed ruins of a long-gone era!**

**But take my word for it! Find out for yourself to see what's in there!**

**P.S.**

**Try not to die.**

**[Dungeon] encounters are harder to deal with then the ones found in the open wilderness.**

**But, in turn, they give out more EXP and their item drop rates are double that of regular encounters!**

**So enter the [Dungeon] at your own risk if you think the rewards are worth it!**

Okay. Now I'm starting to think that _someone_ is sending me these messages.

Helpful as they are, methinks that there are _ulterior motives_ behind the other person's keyboard.

Either that, or my sense of paranoia is starting to get to me.

... Shut up. It's complicated.

"So kiddies." I then turn back to the two. "I think I came up with tomorrow's game plan."

"Then what is it, mister?" Garou asked with his tail wagging.

I then crack a small smile.

"We hit the town for supplies and maintenance, then we skedaddle to the next settlement for temporary base, and after that, we find a [Dungeon] for EXP and a shitload of loot."

The two's eyes then begin to glimmer in awe.

"So tomorrow's our preparation day in that town, so you two, I order you two to get a good-night's sleep." I then open up Grimm's pages and summon [Yellow Balloons], the [Stun] aliment dealers. "Me and Grimm will keep watch for ambushes from the treetops while these little guys will patrol ground-level."

I then try to climb up to the trees... with some _difficulties_.

Okay, I'm not much of an athlete, okay!? I never went outside for much reasons at all!

"... Mind helping a brother out?"

Grimm then hooks himself around the branch and pulls me up, pulley-style.

"See you two tomorrow mornin'!" I waved in the air as the two kids slowly went to sleep.

I then look down upon the sleeping children-wait...

"Why do they look... _bigger_?" I muttered out. Upon seeing this abnormality, I then check their stat sheets.

Both of them were now at least _Level 20_ or above.

Then it hit me.

Demi-Humans grow up faster then regular humans do. So essentially, the two were _no_ longer five-to-six-year-olds.

"Grimm." I asked the tome wrapped around my right arm.

The [Enigmatic Tome] opens its "eye".

**"... Can it wait until morning?"** The book spoke out.** "I may not need sleep but the kids do."**

"About that..." I then direct his eye towards the now-grown-up Garou and Fubuki.

**"... Oh."** The book remarked. **"... You do know that they're still minors, right?"**

"Don't even go there, pal. I swear to God." I grimaced. "So how old do they look now?"

**"They're probably around their early-to-mid-adolescence."** Grimm stated. **"Let's hope that their puberty doesn't cost us too much trouble."**

"Don't push it, buddy." I groaned out. "You do realize that teens are _fucking_ monsters, right?"

**"True."** Grimm replied. **"But they're_ ours_."**

I then let out a sigh. I know for a fact that their [Slave Brand]s keep them bound to me, regardless of circumstances, but the mere fact that I'm resorting to such despicable measures makes me feel no better than the people here that I _loathe_.

"Grimm." I asked the tome.

**"Talk to me."**

"If I end up like those people that I fight. The Crown, the Church of Three Heroes, and whatever racist scumbag that this world has to offer, I want you to be my failsafe." I spoke to the floating tome next to me.

**"Meaning?"**

I then face Grimm with a solemn expression.

"Promise me that I don't end up like _them_."

The tome then turns its back on me.

**"That all on _you_, kiddo."**

With those thoughts in mind, the night slowly passes around me into dawn.

I slowly watch the night sky is slowly lit up by the rising sun, with my body slowly _fatiguing_ upon the presence of daylight.

"Great. Apparently I'm also a vampire as well." I muttered as I switched out [Nocturnal] to [The Punisher].

... A little better, although my eyes are not feeling any better.

"... We really need a place to safely crash for a while." I remarked. "[Nocturnal] may give stat boosts and the ability go on without sleep, but even then, human limitations prove otherwise..."

In context, the latest I sleep _voluntarily_ is around _11:30 PM_. And that's with me writing fanfic like a madman. Any further then that, without my hobbies, then I start to lose my shit.

"[Clock] skill, unlocked." My HUD stated.

I then go to my HUD and click on the recently-earned skill.

**[Clock]**

**Activate?**

**Yes**

**No**

I just click "Yes". And by doing so, a digital clock appears on my HUD on the lower-right side, reading 5:30 AM.

Okay, now my HUD looks like my computer screen. All I need is internet, and I'm good to go.

... Yeah right.

Upon further rumination of what happened for the last several hours, the now-grown-up kids slowly wake up as the embers of the campfire finally burn out the last of its embers.

"Mornin' kiddies!" I cry out as I slowly crane myself back down from the tree.

... God forbid if I get treed like a cat.

The now teenaged-kids yawn out, revealing their slightly fanged mouths.

"Hmm..." Garou grumbled out. "Sir...? Why do you look... _shorter_?"

"No." I replied. "It's just that you two just gotten a lot taller."

Fubuki then turns toward Garou, who then screams upon seeing him.

"Wh-Who are you!?" She cried out while grabbing her [Basic Staff]. "Where did brother go!?"

Garou then turns towards Fubuki, who also then screams out while drawing his [Short Sword].

"Where did you take my sister!?" He snarled out.

"Guys, GUYS!" I then stop the two before things got out of hand. "Relax, you've both only gotten a little taller."

The two look at each other once again.

"Brother?"

"Sis?"

"What happened to you!?" Fubuki squealed out. "You look... taller!"

"And you look..." Garou stops for a moment while he stares at her _blossomed_ chest.

His face turns red while his tail begins to wag.

"... Am I going to have to teach him the birds and the bees?" I muttered out. Before things can turn for the weird, I then break up the two. "Alright kiddies! Line up!"

The two then stand in front of me.

"First order of business." I stated. "Follow me to the nearest river and wash up. Because frankly speaking, as much as I hate that damn town, not only its the only place that happens to sell everything, but even I'm civil enough to at least look presentable in civilization."

I then lead the two towards the river right after I bury the campfire remains.

We all dunk our hairs, hands, and feet with the water, all the while picking and scraping dirt and dried blood off of our bodies.

Next time, I'm bringing soap.

After we're all done cleaning ourselves up, we all put on our cloaks and head back into town.

And the first thing I see are various "Wanted" posters featuring _yours truly_ plastered all over the brick walls.

... Wow.

_1,000,000 Gold_ for my head? Talk about excessive-.

Oh wait, its _them_ we're talking about. Even I'm not that _vindictive_ in my worst days.

"Sir." Garou tugged my cloak. "We should move."

I then make haste towards the Smith, where I meet the familiar shopkeep.

Before I throw off my hood, I close the door behind me.

"Sup." I talked to the shopkeep.

"Been a while kid." The shopkeep replied in a gruff tone. "So how's the attention that you're getting lately?"

"I can't tell if I should be flattered or insulted." I stated while the other two throw off their own hoods, revealing their respective fox and wolf ears.

"Care to explain?" The shopkeep asked with a raised eyebrow.

**"Back off, you bald bastard."** Grimm then appears from my wrist, teeth bared out.

"AGHHH!" The shopkeep then scrambled away from him. "WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING!?"

"Grimm! Heel!"

The book then closes its teeth.

"Sorry about that." I apologized. "It's only been around a single day, and Grimm's already become rather fond of them."

The shopkeep then takes a few breathers before standing back up. "... Right, sorry bout' that." He said while dusting off his leather apron. "It's not everyday that you get to see a talking book with teeth who's very protective of two demi-human slaves-"

"I don't consider them slaves." I cut in while switching out [The Punisher] to [Favorite Customer]. "They're my investments. On which I plan to protect them until I turn to dust."

"... Right." He then clears his throat. "So, you here to buy somethin'?"

"Grimm." I called the tome.

The tome floats upwards next to me.

**"Talk to me."**

"How many [Iron Ingots] are you packing in there?"

**"Too many." **

"What are you guys talking about?" The shopkeep asked.

"Dump exactly thirty of them."

**"Comin' right up."** Grimm then opens its mouth and upchucks out drool-covered ores of raw iron that were once eaten armor from the [Royal Guards] and drops from the [Metal Balloons] onto the counter.

The shopkeep was loss for words.

"So sir?" I asked the man. "Do you take custom orders?"

The shopkeep nods rapidly.

"Just a sec." I then turn back to Garou, who was looking a pair of ornate-looking _katars_.

"You want that?" I asked the wolf-boy.

Garou nods with sparkles in his eyes.

"Well looking at the price tag..."

_150,000 Gold._

... Yeesh.

"... Grimm." I asked the tome.

**"Talk to me."** The tome asked right before conversing with the shopkeep.

"How much gold do we have?"

**"Around 2,000-ish. Why do you ask?"**

"... On second thought, nevermind."

Yeah, even with all the pickpocketing I did with my [Five-Finger Discount] skill combined with my [Phantom Thief] title, it'll take me _days_ to allot this much money.

And I don't plan to linger around here for much longer.

"Hey boss!?" I yelled towards the back.

"Yeah!?" I replied.

"I'll take that custom order!" I cried out. "Can you make a pair of [Katars] for Garou here?"

"You want em' basic or enchanted?" He responded.

"I'll take basic for now!" I replied. "How long is it gonna take?"

"Along with an armor set that I got cooking up for another guy, give me at least a week!" He stated.

"Great!" I then head towards the main counter. "How much?"

"About... 25 Gold?"

"Here ya go." I then dump a stack of gold on the counter next to the iron ingots.

"... You do realize that I won't be needing that much, right?" The shopkeep pointed towards the pile of iron.

"How many?" I asked.

"Around 10 to 20, depending how big you want em." He replied.

I leave 12 [Iron Ingots] behind while Grimm stores the rest inside of himself.

"Take care, ya hear?" He calls out as we make ourselves scarce while we put on our hoods.

I then reenter the Smith.

"Um, pardon me, but you know where the Magic Shop is?"

"About three blocks to the East end of the town."

I then give a thumbs up before I make myself scarce.

As me and my party walk along the path avoiding detection, avoiding the patrolling [Royal Guards] and other wannabe-cutthroats along the way.

To be honest, I feel as if I'm playing Hitman or Judge Eyes/Judgement's stalking scenarios. But unlike 47 or the ex-defense attorney-turned-private eye voiced by Greg Chun, I'm_ barely_ holding on.

I bump one person on the shoulder, but thankfully, it was just an old lady, so no freak-outs.

... Almost.

And by before I can start swearing bullets, I then reach the doors of the Magic Shop, as indicated by the sign outside.

Me, Garou, and Fubuki head into the doors before the sounds of the metal boots clanking can reach us.

"Welcome!" The shopkeeper lady greeted.

"Sup." I then throw my hood off.

The lady's face then makes a surprised expression.

"Don't worry." I reassured. "I'm only here to do business." The other two behind me then take off their hoods.

"Forgive me." The shopkeep stated. "But it's a little startling to see someone with a bounty of a million on his head."

"Yeah, shocker, I know." I then glance around a few products before approaching the counter. "Can me and my party check our [Affinities]?"

She then takes out a crystal ball. "That'll be 10 Gold per person."

I then take out thirty gold coins and place it on the table.

"i'll let the kids go first." I gesture the two others to go ahead.

"Place your hand on the orb." The shopkeep stated. "The color that the orb gives off will indicate which element you have."

Garou places his hand onto the orb. The orb glows in a black light.

"Oh!" The shopkeep exclaimed. "Looks like you're a [Dark Affinity]! That's a pretty rare one, you know!"

"Noice." I raise my hand with a thumbs-up.

Fubuki then places her hand onto the orb, which then emits a light blue light.

"We've got an [Ice Affinity]! Congratulations!"

"Noice." I then pass by the fox-girl after giving her a pat on her shoulder as I head toward the orb. "Me next!"

I then place my hand onto the orb, hoping that I have a decent affinity.

...Wait.

Did Naofumi ever check for his own affinity-?

The orb then begins to glow in a plethora of multi-colored lights, blinding the whole shop in a _rainbow_ of colors.

"SHOPKEEPER!" I roared over the light. "WHAT'S GOING ON-!"

The orb shatters in my hand, leaving a few cuts and gashes on it.

"Oww..." I winced out while trying to pick myself off the floor. "Anyone else alive?"

"Here." Garou groaned out.

"Present." Fubuki moaned out.

"MY ORB!" The shopkeep screeched out.

I then look at the shattered crystal ball.

Yeah. It's gone.

"OH GOD! I'M SO SORRY!" I then scramble through my coin pouch for recompensation. "H-HOW MUCH!?"

"No... No..." The shopkeep stated. "It's alright. That orb was on its last legs, anyway. I have another delivered to me by tomorrow morning."

"Oh thank god..." I heaved out.

My HUD sends me a message.

"[Spectrum] Skill learned." It read.

"Oi miss." I spoke out while trying to ignore the pain of glass shards stabbing my hands (thank you, Level 28 and stats) and drinking a [Health Potion]. "What's my affinity?"

"Hmm. Can't say." She stated. "But if I had to take a guess, I'd say that you have multiple affinities, with, what the multi-colored lights that have emitted from it before it went... you know."

I then go to my HUD to check my stat sheet.

"Um... ma'am?"

"I'm listening."

"How many different kinds of affinities are there in this world?"

"Hmm..." She then takes off her witch's hat and begins to scratch her hair. "I'd say... around _eight_."

One, two, three, four,...

... _Eight_.

"Well, shit." I grinned as I turned back to the shopkeep.

"Well, what is it?"

I try to hold back my glee, but unfortunately, it refused.

"Is it possible for a person to have all eight affinities at the _same time_?" I asked with a barely-contained smile. "Because guess who has all eight of em!?"

"Huh, guess that explains why there were- WAIT, WHAAAAAAAAAAAAATT!?"

The shopkeep then spring out of her seat and bolts towards me to grab my hands.

"YOU THERE YOUNG LAD!" She exclaimed in pure joy. "YOU ARE ONE OF THE KIND, YOU KNOW THAT, RIGHT!?"

All I can do is just stare blankly in space as I let this hurricane of a mage take for a whirlwind of a ride down crazytown.

"Yeah, yeah..." I muttered.

Then suddenly, Grimm unravels from my arm, scaring the poor woman off of me.

"Can we talk shop now?" I said with a pained smile. "I got people around this fucking town that want all of my party's collective heads, including mine, so I'm runnin' a little short on time here."

With that said, me and my party then begin to scour the whole shop.

"How much does this cost?" I asked the shopkeep while holding up the [Warlock Garbs].

"30 gold." She stated.

I place the amount onto the counter and equipped them without a second thought.

"Sir! Take a look at this!" Garou then dashes towards me with a sheathed dagger with skull-like inscriptions on it.

I check the item, which turns out to be a [Sacrificial Dagger].

"Pardon miss, but what does that do?" I pointed towards the wicked-looking shiv.

The lady stares at it blankly. "... I highly recommend that you don't buy that." She stated in a worried tone.

You know what, screw that. "Activate [Appraisal- Arms]." I declared toward the dagger.

**[Sacrificial Dagger]**

**"No price is too great for even greater power..."**

**[UNKNOWN]**

**Use this item to unlock its effects**

Wow. It's like the dagger itself is goading me to buy it to clear that "[UNKNOWN]".

"Ma'am." I spoke out. "Can you reserve this sonnuvabitch for me on a later date?"

The shopkeep looks at me flatly. "Don't say I haven't warned you, kiddo." She then takes the dagger, wraps a tag around the grip, and puts a red stamp on the tag.

"Now then..." I then look at the now-grown-up Fubuki, whose [White Robes] are starting to come off as a little... _tight_.

I then head towards the counter.

"Pardon, but you got any new equipment for her?" I asked the shopkeep. "Preferably, something that fits her and goes really well with her [Ice Affinity]."

"I have a bundle deal just for that. You interested?" She asked.

"Shut up and show me the money if you know what I mean, ma'am." I replied. "... Sorry, it's what I occasionally say back home."

"It's all right dear." She then spreads out a light-blue colored robe and witch's hat, a staff with a pearl-like gem on one end and a spiky, sun-like amber-colored gem at the other tip, and several rolls of [Scroll]s with each one bearing a snowflake seal on them.

I then check the following items presented.

[Winter Solstice] was the dual-ended staff, and the hat and robe were obviously the [Winter Witch's Hat] and [Winter Witch's Garbs] respectively.

As for the [Scroll]s themselves, that's what the message last time told me about.

Open one of these up, and a contained [Skill] is then learned. Normally, I would use one of these on myself to see how it works, but they're all for Fubuki, anyway.

It would be a dick move for me to even do such thing in the place anyway. I'll use a [Scroll] when I find one in a [Dungeon] on my own.

"The grand total will be around 75 Gold." The shopkeep stated.

I then check my pouch for the gold.

... I'm starting to run a little _thin_, and by that, I mean around barely enough Gold left to buy the essentials.

I'm getting that soap, dammit!

Fuck it, time to _haggle_.

"Hmm..." I then peer at the goods. "How about... 65?"

"74."

"68?"

"72."

"69?"

"Deal."

Thank you, [Favorite Customer]! Thank you for making my life a little easier.

"Fubuki!" I call out towards the now teen-ish fox-girl.

"Yes sir?" She replied.

"I gotta present for you."

I then hand her one of the [Scroll]s.

Fubuki opens it, resulting in the whole shop lighting up in an azure light.

My HUD then sends me a message over the blinding light.

"Party member [Fubuki] has learned the Skill: [Ice Shot]."

Once the light fades, I then see Fubuki begin to radiate a cold mist around her.

"Hey kid..." I spoke out. "You feel any different?"

"No..." She stated. "But everything around me feels... warmer then usual."

It didn't take a genius to figure out that she's now become more heat sensitive.

"Ma'am." I asked the shopkeep behind me. "You mind helping her change?"

It really didn't need to be said. Like a bolt of lightning, she dragged the fox-girl with the garb and hat in tow towards the back room.

"Sorry for the wait!" She then presents herself along with the newly-dressed fox-girl.

"Lookin' good there." I whistled out.

"Y-You think so?" Fubuki asked bashfully.

"You're looking great sis!" Garou grinned out.

I then hand her the [Winter Solstice].

"Well?" I took a step back. "How do you feel?"

"I..." She then springs back into life, as if she's been injected with a liter of adrenaline. "I feel great! I feel... so energized!"

She then begins to run around like a sugar-hopped kid in Halloween.

"Thank you! Thank you sir!" Fubuki gleefully praised. "I'll take good care of it!"

I then turn back to the shopkeep, where she looks over the [White Robes] and [Basic Staff].

"I could take these off of you hands for around 15 Gold." She remarked.

I take her offer and her money.

"So..." I called out towards the nice lady. "You mind taking this off of my hands too?"

I then place my [Basic Rune Chainmail] on the counter.

"I wouldn't if I were you, kid." She remarked. "Considering what kind of a situation that you're in, I suggest taking all the protection you can get."

"Reasonable." I then put back on my [Basic Rune Chainmail] underneath my brand-new [Warlock Garbs].

Then from the other side, I spot Garou looking at a pair of ghost-like gauntlets sitting on the shelf.

"Sir." Garou asked. "Can I get this?"

The wolf-boy then begins to wag his tail.

"... One second." I then turn back to the counter.

"Okay lady, how much does that cost?" I asked the shopkeep.

"That thing has been sitting there collecting dust ever since I inherited this shop from my mum." She stated. "I'm thinking about clearing that shelf this week, but if your little friend wants em', then consider em' on the house." She smiled.

"You sure!?" I asked for reassurance.

"Take it kid." She grinned. "You've been one of my more enthusiastic customers for a good while now."

Well, back home, I occasionally came along with my mom to go grocery shopping. And yes, I sound like a total momma's boy from saying that, but at least from her, I got to enjoy the idea of shopping.

And when something new and outstanding as magic is sitting behind the counter and I have cash to burn, how the fuck am I supposed to say no!?

"I hope we can get along in the future." I stated. "And hopefully, the Crown doesn't come into your shop and burn it down because of me..."

"Worry not." She stated. "The King may be vindictive as of late, but even then, he's not crazy enough to burn down my establishment just to squeeze info about you from me."

I then look out the windows to see a _dozen_ silhouettes lined up.

They're waiting for _me_.

"Garou!?" I then turned towards the wolf-boy-no-I mean wolf-lad.

"Hm?" He then brandished his arms with the newly-acquired [Shadow Gauntlets] covering his forearms.

"Nevermind." I then turned towards the fox-lass. "Fubuki! The [Scroll]s!"

"Y-Yes sir!"

Me and the vulpine got to work unraveling these [Scroll]s like today was our last day on this bloody clump of dirt and water.

Then my HUD goes wild.

"Party member [Fubuki] has learned the following Skills: [Frost Trap], [Flash-Freeze], [Frozen Mirror], [Clear Snow], and [White Out]."

Fuck explanations, we're going in hot!

"Lady, I suggest you find something to hide behind." I stated.

She then ducks back the back rooms.

"Now then..." I then open up my [Summon] list.

You know the [Bird Eyes], you know, those small, dark-plumed birds with literal eyeballs for heads?

Well while me and my party were out "partying" (I regret nothing), those little guys have been scanning _all_ of the natural fauna all across this whole continent for the last 12-ish hours.

And since my [Analyze] skill now became passive ever since I let those guys out, combined with the fact that every [Encounter] can be scanned a certain amount of times to be added to my [Summon]s...

... Yeah.

Thank you, [Fated Encounter].

_**Outside...**_

There were a few [Royal Guards] with several mercenaries waiting outside with their weapons drawn.

Under the orders of their King, the soldiers were given a "kill on sight" order towards this so-called [Tome Hero], and the mercenaries are there to assist them if necessary.

Oh, and the King himself would pay each of them the bounty _without_ splitting.

As for why they didn't just break into the shop itself, the King also declared that no private property to be "vandalized" in pretense of avoiding "public unrest" (also the fact that the Kingdom of Melomarc has a long-established the Merchant Act, which gives all private businesses like Smiths and Magic Shops public insurance and protection, unless there's a warrant involved; basically this world's equivalent of the _"Laissez-Faire"_ policy).

Not only that, but the windows were tinted, meaning that they couldn't see what was going on in there.

In reality, the [Shield Hero] was his top priority. The [Tome Hero] was little concern to him.

For him, he was just another gutter rat that he can dispose at his leisure, _completely ignoring_ the fact that the [Tome Hero] has killed over _50_ of his [Royal Guards] for the last 24 hours since his arrival.

In fact, the whole 1 million bounty on his head? That's just _bait_ for some other random schmuck to do his dirty work for him.

As for the non-split payment? He's the King. The taxpayer's Gold sitting in the Kingdom's coffers are beginning to collect dust, so might as well clean them out (one of the _many_ advantages of being a ruler in a well-off castle town).

So under the delusional (probably _dementia_) King, the soldiers and cutthroats alike were waiting out here for a good while.

... And a lot of them were beginning to grow rather impatient, particularity the [Royal Guards].

"Well what the hell are we waiting for!?" The young and newly-minted [Royal Guard Captain] barked out. "He's just one man with two animals that he has for pets!"

He then approaches the door with his [Longsword] drawn, and his other hand reaching for the doorknob.

He then swings the door while drawing out the search warrant that he has stashed in his belt.

"[Royal Guard Captain], or should I say, _Mr. Free EXP_..."

A blast of fire _cooks_ the young man alive.

The search warrant is then scattered into the air as ashes.

_**Back to 1st Person Perspective**_

"... Meet my new companion for today, Mr. [Manticore]."

As befitting of its name, the [Manticore] was a bear-sized beast with a body, mane, and teeth of a lion, a face of a snarling man, and a bright red scorpion's tail.

As for where my [Bird Eyes] found him, who gives a shit.

... Although the 60-second time meter over the [Manticore]'s head is rather worrying.

I just figured out that unless I either learned that [Encounter]'s personal skill with my [Analyze] or establish a [Contract] with it, that [Summon] is only temporary.

Oh, and did I forgot to mention that I can't read the [Manticore]'s stats?

Regardless, me and my party are getting out of this alive, by _any_ means necessary.

"Garou, Fubuki, Grimm."

The two demi-humans and my carnivorous [Enigmatic Tome] gather around me.

"Get ready."

As the [Manticore]'s timer slowly reaches zero, I crack my knuckles, Garou readies his [Short Sword], Fubuki begins to chant her new list of spells, and Grimm bares his metal teeth.

Five.

My heartbeats begin to accelerate as I equip my [To Arms!] title.

Four.

Garou begins to snarl as his grip on his blade tightens.

Three.

The air around Fubuki begins to go cold.

Two.

Grimm's chains then begin to lengthen on their own.

One.

The [Manticore] bellows out one last jet of flames before disappearing.

"NOW!"

Me and my whole party bolt out of the door towards the dispersed [Encounters].

"[Fireball]!" I then stretch out my hand with an orb of fire forming on my palm.

The orb of fire shoots from my hand, hitting the scattered [Encounters], and exploding like a grenade.

"Holy shit..." I gasped out.

I then look at my [Warlock Garbs], feeling it giving me greater strength and control over my magic.

"Hallelujah." I smirked as I ready my brand-new spell.

"Eat this!" I then stretch out my hand, now forming a circle of eight different-colored orbs around my wrist.

"Die!" The [Royal Guard Pikeman] then swings down his [Halberd].

"[Spectrum]!"

Eight lasers of different colors fire out in indiscriminate rays like a demented lightshow.

The soldier is immediately disposed of after being hit by all eight of them.

... And me accidentally damaging property behind and around him.

Crap. I guess I'll shelve [Spectrum] until I get out of here-.

"DIE!"

Next to me, Garou then intercepts a blade from a [Mercenary Swordsman] with his [Short Sword].

"Tch! Damn brat is stronger that he looks." The mercenary gritted out as he tried to push his blade down upon thewolf-lad.

I then place my hand upon his face and cast [Fireball], setting his whole head on fire.

I then hear Fubuki's scream as the [Royal Guards] approached her, weapons drawn.

"Garou! Protect your sister!"

"Got it!" He then rushes towards the mobs while reeling Grimm back after his meal. "Grimm!"

The book then bares his teeth towards the other [Royal Guards].

"[Fireball]!" I then slug another orb of fire towards another of those clankers.

"Shit..." I reached for my [Mana Potion] mid-dodge. "Runnin' a little low here..."

Before I can take a swig, another [Royal Guard] tries to take a swing off of me. I dodge the hell out of the way and sneak in a [Burst Mine] underneath the guy's feet.

I use the explosion as a makeshift propulsion, with the [Royal Guard]'s feet being blown off of his ankles while I down a [Mana Potion] under the cover of the flames.

After the mine connects, I dash towards where Garou and Fubuki were being pinned down.

"Garou! Fubuki!" I yelled out as I ran faster.

The two look at me with relief on their faces.

"We're blowing this juice stand!" I then then begin to activate my other spell for cover.

"Don't think you can get away!" A [Mercenary Swordsman] swings his blade from behind.

But suddenly, Garou disappears from where he stood.

Suddenly, a pained cry and a stabbing sound was heard from behind me.

Three guesses say that its Garou, but I'm a little too busy clearing out the [Royal Guards] surrounding Fubuki as of now.

"Hey Fubuki." I heaved out while drinking another [Mana Potion]. "You know how to use those the spells that you've just learned?"

She just shrugs.

"Alright, being a terrible advise aside, I'm going to say this only once."

I then offhand one [Royal Guard]'s face with [Chastise], while Garou was currently swimming inside another person's shadow.

... I swear to god that I _wish_ that I was making this up.

"Now where was I?" Another [Chastise] to another sucker that I don't even bother looking at his name card.

"Oh right." I then slam both of my hands on her shoulders. "It's do or die. You fuck up, we all die, understood?"

She nods rapidly.

"Good. Then get to it. Me, Garou, and Grimm will cover you!" I then hand her a [Mana Potion] and a [Health Potion].

"R-Right!" As me and Garou begin to fend off the surrounding encounters, the fox-girl begins her incantation of her very first spell.

"Cold crystals of winter! White winds of the North! Grant me the strength to cast upon a frozen prison to contain these infidels!"

Her [Winter Solstice] begins to glow on both of the gems as the air around us begins to _drop_ by several temperatures.

"Anytime now!" I then kick back a [Royal Guard] after casting another [Fireball].

"Seal them in thy winter's brutal embrace! [Frost Trap]!"

The whole surrounding area is then turned into a grassland of frozen spires, each containing an unfortunate sucker that dared to oppose us.

"Grimm, you can tell if they're dead or not, right-?"

The crystals around us then immediately shatter into a million pieces, leaving _only_ their listed item drops.

"... Never mind. Dead as a doornail."

Me and Grimm then began looting, with my carnivorous tome storing the loot inside of himself.

_**+2500 EXP**_

"Noice." I pumped my fist. "Oh, and here."

I then hand the two the recently-looted/pickpocketed [Health Potions] and [Mana Potions].

"Um, sir?" Garou stated after finishing his [Health Potion].

"What is it-?"

The [Mana Potion] that was in my hand is then shattered in my hands.

By an _arrow_.

"Wait." I then cover my eyes and stretch out my hand dramatically. "Let me guess, Itsuki, correct?"

"How observant of you." Erik Kimerer's voice filtered through my ears.

I swear to God, Speed O'Sound Sonic will never sound the same ever again. Nor will One Punch Man Season 2 as a whole.

"So let me guess." I continued on with my eyes closed. "You've also brought your entire party with you, along with more of those clankers, and if I'm really lucky, the Princess herself is also here to grace me with her presence too, correct?"

"Hmph! Be grateful that I'm letting you finish, you damn criminal-!"

"Well, guess that's all there's to it!" I then uncover my eyes and stick out my middle finger.

Which then I transition it into a thumbs-down.

"[Burst Mine]."

The ground beneath their feet explodes into a spray of flames and shattered masonry, sending them flying, staggering them greatly, provided if they weren't turned into _free EXP_.

**_+900 EXP_**

... Good enough.

"[Summon-Roc]!"

Grimm then opens his pages, summoning a giant bird with beaks that can shatter through a _mountain_ apparently.

Me and the rest of my party get on this giant, majestic _fucking_ eagle.

The bird then flies off into the air, breaking through the magic barrier surrounding the castle town with its beak.

**"_Adios_ losers!"** I then let out a crazed fit of euphoric laughter.

... Then my stomach then begins to rumble.

"... Oh right, _essentials_." I then facepalm.

Guess we're going to have to hunt our next meal for today.

Or loot. Whichever works.

And I get the distinct feeling that I'm forgetting _something_...

I then take a whiff of the air around us.

"... Oh right, _soap_."

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **This was rather a hard chapter for me to write.

New equipment, already-evolved demi-human party members, and plenty more way down the road.

Oh and balance patching on the Tome Hero's [Summon] skill.

Unless I either learned that [Encounter]'s personal [Skill] (like [Metal Balloon]'s [Burst Mine]), or sucessfully [Negotiate] with it (like with the [Bird Eye]'s little Shin Megami Tensei event), the [Summon] lasts only up to 60 seconds.

Oh, and _all_ of their stats are completely blanked out unless I encounter the genuine article myself and [Analyze] it (provided if my level is high enough).

Also regarding my personality, here's summary so far.

I don't kill people unless they try to kill me first (but considering what kind of world that "I'm" in, I'm basically a death magnet), but I have standards.

For one, I actually pay for what I buy (even though most of the Gold were ill-gotten, it's not like anyone's noticed, ...yet), and shopping environments are sacred for me.

Two, as much as I hate the other three Heroes, I don't go out of my way to kill them outright (this notion will be tested to its _very limit;_ I'm looking at you, **Motoyasu**).

And finally, I share my loot. After all, no point of a Caster like me hoarding steel armor, now is there? Also, I'm not much of a frivolous spender, and I usually take good care of what I take or given.

So now, for the stat sheets!

* * *

**Name: [The Punisher], [Nan Hon-Jah]**

**Class: [Tome Hero]**

**Level: 27**

**Affinities****: [All Eight Elements]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Enigmatic Tome, Grimm], [Basic Rune Chainmail], [Warlock Garbs]**

**Attack: 29 (+10)**

**Defense: 21 (+4)**

**Agility: 18 (-6)**

**Luck: 23 (-5)**

**HP: 190 (+15)**

**MP: 230 (+40)**

* * *

**Name: [Garou]**

**Class: [Slave Fighter]**

**Level: 23**

**Affinities****: [Dark]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment****: [Short Sword], [Basic Chainmail], [Shadow Gauntlets]**

**Attack: 21 (+18)**

**Defense: 17 (+9)**

**Agility: 13 (+8)**

**Luck: 4 (-4)**

**HP: 230 (-50)**

**MP: 60 (-50)**

* * *

**Name: [Fubuki]**

**Class: [Slave Mage]**

**Level: 22**

**Affinities****: [Ice]**

**Alignment****: True Neutral**

**Equipment****: [Winter Solstice], [Winter Witch's Garbs], [Winter Witch's Hat]**

**Attack: 19 (+15)**

**Defense: 10 (+10)**

**Agility: 15 (+5)**

**Luck: 8 (+2)**

**HP: 130 (-20)**

**MP: 260 (+50)**

* * *

So that's all for Epic 4!

Let me know what you guys think of this chapter!

Next time, me and my party shall go into a [Dungeon]!

Because what's the point of all of the Darkest Dungeon (and other) references if I ain't goin' in deep!?

More loot awaits...


	5. Epic 5: The Dungeon Part 1

**_Continuing self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

**_Epic 5: The Dungeon Part 1_**

* * *

In a span of 60 seconds, me, my party, and [Summon-Roc] managed to fly all the way from Melromarc all the way to god-knows-where.

Hey, as long I have distance from that damned hellhole, I ain't complaining. But although I might want to come/sneak back in on a later date to do some last-minute shopping before the first Wave.

What can I say? I'm a paying customer. Ill-gotten (not really) my Gold may be, I have the ironclad decency to pay for what I buy.

Then I hear the whole party's stomach grumbles.

"... Whatever monster that shows up and we kill it, that's our dinner." I speak out. "Unless its a [Balloon], in which case, I suggest fish or tree fruits. No mushrooms, though."

Because in a fantasy world, mushrooms are either monsters in disguise, or they're the kinds that should belong in a witch's cauldron.

That, or they're the ones that you use to fuck yourself up during "recreation" ("shrooms", not eggplants).

A rustle is then heard from the bushes.

"GANGWAY!" I then run up to the demi-humans, tackling them down.

I then look up, and see a boar-like creature jumping over me.

"[Analyze]." I then get off of my party members and scan the boar.

**Name: [Black Boar]**

**Class: [Rare Encounter]**

**Level: 24**

**Affinities****: Dark**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral  
**

**Item Drops: [DFD Pork] (100%), [Bristly Hide] (100%), [Loose Tusk] (100%)**

**Attack: 24**

**Defense: 23**

**Agility: 19**

**Luck: 0**

**HP: 150/150**

**MP: 10**

You know what I like about animal-like [Encounters]? As long as you know how to properly prepare them post-mortem, the [Item Drop] rates increase _dramatically_.

How do I know this? Well, for one, it was a source of meat.

And this kind of [Black Boar]?

It's a delicacy back in Korea, and it tastes is a _lot_ better then the hogs raised in pens and barns.

Regardless...

"DINNERTIME KIDDIES!" I lash Grimm out from my wrist as the chained tome pulls me towards it.

Normally, I would shit my pants right now, but right after that stunt I've pulled in Melromarc?

I _stopped_ giving two shits and just mounted the sunnovabitch like if I'm in Monster Hunter 4.

... One problem.

I don't know how to ride an animal.

Then the [Black Boar] starts to flail its back around like a rodeo bull (animatronic or live, I honestly can't tell), as it tries to throw me off of its back.

I then hug the boar's neck with my arms, as Grimm's chains slowly wrap around it.

**"Hey kid."** The tome spoke out. **"It's time to learn a new technique."**

"ALRIGHT!? WHAT THE HELL IS IT THEN!?" I cried out while holding on for my dear life.

**"When you see an opening, pull my chains as hard as you can."** Grimm stated. **"Just trust me!"**

Do or die then. With all of my strength, the chains constrict the [Black Boar]'s neck, stopping it to a halt as it struggles for air.

"[Garrote] Skill learned." My HUD stated.

Boo yah.

"[Garrote]!" I then pull the chains around the boar's neck even harder.

Snap.

The [Black Boar] is dead.

_**+200 EXP**_

"Hey Garou!" I spoke to the wolf-lad.

"What is it?" The wolf-lad came towards me.

"You want me to teach you how to gut an animal?"

Personally, I never did it myself, but I've read enough survival manuals, culinary textbooks, and Golden Kamuy to get a basic gist of what's to come.

Hopefully, I can handle the gore, but then again, I did kinda _enjoy_ dissecting a frog back when I was in 8th grade.

... Shut up, I was an eccentric. Still am today, and damn well proud of it.

"Hey kiddos." I call out.

The wolf-lad and the fox-lass approach me next to the downed boar.

"... You want me to teach the two of you how to cook an animal?"

**About roughly 45 minutes later...**

"[Fireball]." I then sling the orb of fire into a pit full of tinder.

On the pile of fresh pile of leaves, the boar meat were carefully prepared in ribs, ham, head, heart, and liver.

The rest (bones excluded) were fed to Grimm, who likes his meat raw.

I then stake the heart and liver over the fire, carefully making sure that the fluids won't come bursting out.

The fire then touches the organs, cooking it.

Then I put the ham, ribs, and head over the fire.

"[Appraisal: Culinary] Skill, learned." My HUD announces.

Thankfully, the pit was big enough to accommodate an entire boar, but now, we're all covered in blood.

Good news, there's a running river nearby.

So while our lunch was being cooked, I then summon [Metal Balloons] to comb the surrounding areas for any suspecting ambushes.

"Waitaminute..." I mutter out. "Grimm, I haven't recalled any of the [Bird Eyes] back to me, right?"

**"Just what are you getting at, pal?"** The book munched on the boar's spine for the marrows.

"Call me crazy, but can I use my [Bird Eyes] to recon on other people?" I pointed out. "After all, as long as they're active, my [Analyze] skill becomes passive, so what's stopping me from seeing through their eyes?"

The [Enigmatic Tome] then slurps the marrow from the spine before speaking to me.

**"Like the way you think, kid."** Grimm then floats towards me and flutters open his pages. **"Oh, and mind the stench."**

I try not to vomit from the stench of rotten flesh and bone coming from his pages/internals.

"Grimm, is oral hygiene even possible for a book?" I asked in futility.

**"Well, my pages aren't wet from the blood and spinal fluids, so I think I'm safe."** Grimm stated. **"Actually, can you touch my pages? To check if they're paper or otherwise."**

I then feel the white pages in Grimm's metallic covers.

... Leather.

It felt like my pleather jacket that I had back home.

**"Well, how is it?"** Grimm asked.

"It ain't paper, Grimm." I replied. "I think we're open for toothpaste or salt."

**"Awesome, now let me give teach you a little something." **

A message is then sent to my HUD.

"[Reconnaissance] Skill learned."

I then activate that sunnovabitch without hesitation.

Over the open book, a literal multi-headed holographic screens show up, each depicting images of various fauna/[Encounters], the other three heroes and they're so-called "leveling" (It's only been three days and they just reached a twenty-level gap, I'm currently Level 28 to their overall average Level of 8), the _Whore Princess of the Uterine Sea_, Malty (I know that's Slan's moniker from Berserk, but in all honesty, I personally think that the patent owner takes it as a _compliment_),

... And Naofumi with _Raphtalia_.

"Sir?" The wolf-lad speaks to me. "Are you... crying?"

I then let out a small sniff before turning back to the two.

"... Strong men cry because they know what they did was worth it in the end." I whimpered out.

My gamble _worked_.

It _worked_.

Then I hear a sound of an explosion from a distance.

... And a Wilhelm scream?

**_+500 EXP_**

God bless this wonderful world... particularly because of the fact that I'm essentially _auto-leveling_.

And the fact that now I have clearance to rip those Melromarc Crown dipshits a new one, post-Wave.

I then hear the fires crackling and the meat over the flames starting to smell gamey.

"They're done!" I then hand the leg and ham to the two. "Dibs on the heart and liver."

... Golden Kamuy says organs are edible when properly cooked, and I had a fair share of hog liver, kidney, ear, and entrails along with sundae/Korean blood sausages.

God I miss Korean food already... For I would literally _murder_ someone (innocent) for that, sweet, crispy, olive oil-fried chicken.

"So how does it taste?" I asked right before biting into the roasted heart.

Their starry-eyed looks were sign enough that I did good. The sensation was further capitalized on me enjoying my heart.

"[Camp Cook] title title." My HUD forwarded.

Me and my party continue to eat our fill as random schmucks ([Royal Guards] or [Brigands], I don't give a fuck), provide free EXP.

... Is it possible to feed the [Metal Balloons] without blowing them up? Because I kinda wanna thank them in some way for all their hard work so far.

**_+2,470 EXP_**

**Roughly 30-ish minutes later...**

You know why I always make a pit fire instead of the usual campfire?

Well aside from the fact that it mitigates the chances of possible forest fires, it also provides a perfect dumping ground for any organic trash remaining.

"Alright kiddies!" I call out. "Before we head out, I suggest washing off."

The two then look at me with confused looks.

"We may be outdoorsmen until we settle down in a small village or start inn-hopping, but that's no reason to keep up hygiene!" I proudly proclaim.

I then hear something crawling out of the bushes.

... It was Grimm, dragging out a _near-dead_ person.

At first, I was sympathetic... but all of that was dropped when I saw a [Dirk], not a knife, slip out of his belt.

"[Analyze]."

**Name: [Male Shadow]**

**Class: [Shadow Rouge]**

**Level: 27**

**Affinities****: Light**

**Alignment: Lawful Evil**

**Item Drops: [Dirk] (50%), [Shadow Cloak] (45%), [Poisoned Crossbow] (10%), [Health Potions x1] (25%), [Smoke Bombs x5] (30%)**

**Attack: 38**

**Defense: 3**

**Agility: 29**

**Luck: 25**

**HP: 5/90**

**MP: 70**

Oh brilliant, covert op assholes trying to shank me midday.

"Luck stat 25, my ass..." I muttered upon seeing several bite marks coupled with soccer ball-sized burn marks close by it. "Let me guess, [Metal Balloons]? Cough once if you say yes."

The near-death [Male Shadow] then hacks out a wad of blood onto my boots.

I then grab Grimm with his spine pointing downwards.

**"Thanks."**

**_Scrunch_**. I brought the [Enigmatic Tome] down.

**_+2000 EXP_**

Huh, so [Shadows] are actual EXP Pinatas like Audino from Pokemon Black & White with the rarity of Treasure Demons from Persona 5. I should probably hunt them down over the [Royal Guards] for EXP as soon as more of them are deployed.

At least that way, Melromarc won't get ran over by [Skeletons] and [Chimeras] during the Wave, if you get what I mean.

"So you two..." I then head towards where the two were looting the [Shadow]'s corpse. "Anything good?"

"Can I have this?" The wolf-lad then holds up the relatively-intact [Shadow Cloak].

"I don't see why not." I then kneel down to check if there's anything else on him.

... All I find is a piece of a [Broken Poisoned Crossbow]. But the weirdest part was that [Broken Weapons] seem to count as [Items], not as [Weapons].

"... I smell Chekhov's Gun." I muttered as I put the [Broken Poisoned Crossbow] into Grimm's [Inventory].

After looting and Grimm eating the body, me and my party then head to the river.

First, we drink up as much as we can to hydrate ourselves, then we store water inside the goat skin pouch that we found on the dead [Shadow] for future use, and finally, we dunk ourselves in to wash off the muck and blood off of ourselves.

Because remember kids, if you're looking for a reliable source of fresh water, look for _running_ rivers, not ponds.

After that, we then make our way towards... actually, where the hell are we going?

I then suddenly remember something. A [Compass] is completely useless without a [Map].

"Crap." My eyelid twitched.

"What's the matter sir?" Fubuki asked.

"Call me crazy..." I then looked towards the side as I slowly backstepped. "... But I think we're lo-"

With the slip of my feet, I found myself falling into a very deep hole.

"GRIMM!"

The tome then lashes itself out towards the ledge, catching me from falling.

"SIR!" Garou yelled down from the pit. "ARE YOU OKAY!"

"I'M FINE!" I cried back. "JUST HOLD IT! I'M COMING BACK UP!"

As Grimm pulls his chains back up, I catch a glimpse of a gateway within the darkness of the cavern.

"SIR!" Garou then reaches out his hand.

"Thanks." I then take it, and pull myself up from his _surprisingly strong_ grip.

Yeah, Attack base stat 23, my ass. Making him this world's equivalent of the Monk Class from Final Fantasy as soon as he level-caps.

"Sir, are you hurt anywhere?" Fubuki asked.

I raise my hand towards her. "Fret not. Just a little spooked." I heaved out. "But you know what I saw down there?"

"What is it?" Garou asked.

"I think I saw an entrance towards somewhere." I answered. "We got nothing else better to do, so you wanna head down there?"

The two siblings look at each other and nod in agreement.

"Good." I then stand back up. "But first, Grimm?"

**"Talk to me."** He replied.

"When we were at the smith, you separated the raw ingredients from the broken equipment, right?" I asked.

**"What are you getting at?"** He replied.

"Can you do the same with... organic creatures?" I replied. "Like say, harvest body fat for torches?"

**"I got a few bits of cloth in me, and with the body fat, I can craft them into [Oil-Soaked Rags]."** He answered. **"Ya okay with that?"**

"Disgusting as it is, I think we're in no position to be picky here." I answered.

Yeah, as soon as I get my feet out of the gutter that I've escaped to in order to avoid the chopping block, I'm going to tear down the Aristocratic System and replace it with a Democratic one.

Sure, no political system is perfect, but considering the the current ruler had the power, money, influence, and leisure to make a _single person's_ life a living hell, I'm more inclined to choose the lesser of the two evils.

I then grab a thick, Y-shaped tree branch and begin to wrap one of the [Oil-Soaked Rags] into a thin spindle-like cigar.

I then place the "cigar", cast a [Fireball] on the cigar, emulating Asirpa's torch (yes, I remember that minute detail, so shut up).

"Alright, y'all..." I then coil my arm around the two demi-human siblings with Grimm anchoring his teeth into the rocks. "Hold on tight."

I then slowly scale my way down into the pit, making sure that the torch doesn't put itself out. Gradually, slowly, our feet hit solid earth.

"Grimm, you can let go now." I echoed out.

The tome lets of the stone and coils its chains around my right arm.

"Now then..." I then walk towards the entrance.

My HUD then sends me a message.

**WARNING**

**From this point forward, your party will be entering a [Dungeon].**

**Your party won't be able to leave the [Dungeon] until its completion of exploration.**

**[****Encounters] will be higher-leveled and [Traps] of varying lethality will be present.**

**Would you like to proceed?**

**[Yes]**

**[No]**

Hello Darkest Dungeon my old friend...

I've come to see your ugly ass again...

**[Yes]**

**Welcome to [Abandoned Research Facility]!**

**Try not to die!**

"Hilarious." I quipped as me and my party made our way into the entrance.

Once all of us enter the depths, the light behind us is then sealed, with my torch being the only light source present.

In that window of time, I then equip [Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained] as my Title.

Hey, the [Dungeon] did state that there are higher-leveled [Encounters] crawling in here, so might as well gain EXP _without_ dying.

As our feet splat on the murky and damp earth of this cave, I then slowly make out _why_ this place is called the [Abandoned Research Facility].

Mainly due to the three munchkin monstrosities coming towards us.

"GET READY!" I then ready Grimm while the other two ready themselves for combat. "EVERYONE! BACK-TO-BACK! FORM A CIRCLE SO WE WON'T GET SUCKER PUNCHED!"

It was a right call to make, since I heard additional shrieks coming from my 5-o'clock.

... Wait, what kind of [Traps] are there in a [Dungeon] again?

"Pitfalls, poison traps, and..."

My face then begins to feel cold upon a very dire realization.

... Anyone played Pokemon Mystery Dungeon before it became crappy as all hell?

"... [Monster Houses]."

And my party are uninvited guests.

One of these midgets lunge towards me with its claws out, but Grimm intercepts it with its teeth, breaking both of its arms in the vicegrip.

"[Analyze]." I cast while trying not to cringe.

... Hey, at least I make it quick. For my party and this poor schmuck.

**Name: [Failed Homunculus Type-A]**

**Class: [Common Encounter]**

**Level: 30**

**Affinities: None**

**Alignment: Chaotic Evil**

**Item Drops: [Ruby Core] (33%), [Sapphire Core] (33%), [Emerald Core] (33%), [Diamond Core] (1%)**

**Attack: 25**

**Defense: 0**

**Agility****: 25**

**Luck: 0**

**HP: 200/200**

**MP: 0/0**

Wait, _[Type-A]_? These guys have other variants!?

I then begin to analyze everyone of them while stomping the downed [Type-A]'s head until it breaks like if I'm stepping on eggshells.

**Name: [Failed Homunculus Type-B]**

**Class: [Common Encounter]**

**Level: 30**

**Affinities: None**

**Alignment: Chaotic Evil**

**Item Drops: [Ruby Core] (33%), [Sapphire Core] (33%), [Emerald Core] (33%), [Diamond Core] (1%)**

**Attack: 0**

**Defense: 25**

**Agility****: 0**

**Luck: 25**

**HP: 50/50**

**MP: 500/500**

Upon closer inspection, I draw out a conclusion.

[Type-A]s (ones with red eyes) are the speedy glass cannon attackers, while [Type-B]s (ones with blue eyes) are the tanky healer/supports.

**_On paper._**

In reality, at worst, these guys were nothing more then overglorifed suicide bombers.

One problem...

"JUST HOW MANY OF THESE FUCKERS ARE CRAWLING AROUND IN HERE!?"

Upon adjusting my vision to the surrounding darkness, I then see that several of them were crawling out of the surrounding hole like if my party was in the depths of an _ant colony_.

Seriously, the _Mannequin Soldiers_ from FMA were were tolerable to look at then these fuckers. At least those bastards were_ vaguely_ human-looking.

Here?

These guys constantly looked like they were on the verge of _melting_, like if a goblin was about to turn into a slime, with_ all_ of its organs being able to be seen through its _translucent_ skin.

Easier to kill, sure, but those guys are going to be a lot harder to clean off of my boots-

... Nevermind, they're gone.

Then I see four [Type-A]s _eating_ my boots.

... You know what, _fuck it_.

They're all going to pay.

"KIDS!" I yelled out towards the two cutting down the horde and freezing the alive the [Failed Homunculus]. "ON MY MARK, GET READY TO DUCK DOWN!"

I then raise my hand, with a small white orb of light forming on my palm.

"GET DOWN!"

The two then duck down near me.

"This is for my boots, you ASSHATS! [Spectrum]!"

Eight colored beams of light scatter across the whole room, cutting down the entire mob of these follies.

The beams continue to shine upon the swarm, slowly but surely

Rest in peace, you bastards. And keep my boots company.

"... You can get up now." I told the kids.

Garou and Fubuki slowly get back up, surrounded by the scent of burnt stone and gel.

... Wait, _gel_?

I turn my head, seeing one [Type-A] and [Type-B] still alive.

"Sir!" Garou then draws his [Short Sword]. "Should we kill them?"

Fubuki then begins to chant under her breath.

"No." I signal them.

I then approach the two cowering survivors and crouched down.

"[Negotiate]." I spoke out.

The HUD then sends me a message.

**"P-Please! Let us live!"**

**[Spare them and add the two to [Summon] list]**

**[Kill Them]**

... More is good.

***[Spare them and add the two to [Summons] list]***

"[Failed Homunculus Type-A] and [Failed Homunculus Type-B] added to [Summons]." My HUD messaged.

Now let's see what they do...

**[Failed Homunculus Type-A]**

**Skill: [Desperate Blow]: raises target's Attack stat by 30% with an additional 30% to [Critical Hit] when target's HP is below 50%**

**[Failed Homunculus Type-B]**

**Skill: [Desperate Healing]: recovers target's HP by 20% with and additional 30% boost to Defense stat when target's pre-recovery HP was below 50%**

So emergency support. A perfect starter's kit.

Especially for my very first boss fight. Let's just hope that there isn't another [Monster House]-

In the next chamber that we end up at, we were surrounded by a gaggle of [Type-A]s and [Type-B]s.

Again.

"... I hate this fucking hole."

The reward better be good. So until then.

I then start spamming [Spectrum] while burning through my [Mana Potions] like paper.

At this rate, I'm going to have to rely on physical Skills for the boss fight.

Until then...

"[Summon-Failed Homunculus Type-B]!"

The blue-eyed fleshy blob then begins to heal us while we fight off the horde.

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

About magic: there's no Physical and Magical Split in Stats, but here's the distinction between the Abilities.

Physical has lower MP cost, but you actually have to perform the action physically (like how in Log Horizon, all former in-game abilities can be activated via physical action, but here, it's _mandatory_). The higher-quality the damage output, the harder the muscle memory is going to execute.

Magical has a higher MP cost, but the incantation only needs to be stated once in order for the spell to be memorized (like how in the canon source, the incantation for spells were only said once per spell, with [Fast Speed] being one of the many reoccurring perpetrators, likely being the author saving space, but I'm using that tidbit as an in-story lore for this fic). Consistent damage overall, but subtlety is near-impossible with this kind of Skill.

* * *

**Name: [Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained], [Nan Hon-Jah]**

**Class: [Tome Hero]**

**Level: 30**

**Affinities****: [All Eight Elements]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Enigmatic Tome, Grimm], [Basic Rune Chainmail], [Warlock Garbs]**

**Attack: 32 (+10)**

**Defense: 22 (+4)**

**Agility: 22 (-6)**

**Luck: 27 (-5)**

**HP: 200 (+15)**

**MP: 280 (+40)**

* * *

**Name: [Garou]**

**Class: [Slave Fighter]**

**Level: 26**

**Affinities****: [Dark]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment****: [Short Sword], [Basic Chainmail], [Shadow Cloak], [Shadow Gauntlets]**

**Attack: 28 (+23)**

**Defense: 21 (+4)**

**Agility: 16 (+17)**

**Luck: 7 (+3)**

**HP: 280 (-90)**

**MP: 70 (-50)**

* * *

**Name: [Fubuki]**

**Class: [Slave Mage]**

**Level: 26**

**Affinities****: [Ice]**

**Alignment****: True Neutral**

**Equipment****: [Winter Solstice], [Winter Witch's Garbs], [Winter Witch's Hat]**

**Attack: 25 (+15)**

**Defense: 15 (+10)**

**Agility: 21 (+5)**

**Luck: 12 (+2)**

**HP: 160 (-20)**

**MP: 310 (+50)**

* * *

So that's part one of this fic's first multi-parter!

Let me know on what you think of this chapter, for I'd like to know what my readers are thinking!


	6. Epic 6: The Dungeon Part 2

**_Continuing self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

**_Epic 6: The Dungeon Part 2_**

* * *

... How much time had passed since then?

Well, last ten seconds before the horde of [Failed Homunculus] was completely routed, here's the recap:

My [Mana Potion] supply was now down to _three_ vials, which I gave the rest to Fubuki.

I was stuck with spamming [Bite] and [Garrote] onto these meat-slimes for the rest of the late-game.

And I lost _three_ of my toenails (big, index, and middle toe) from the world's most _painful_ footjob (during that, I smelled a faint scent of _lemon_, probably from the _acid_ inside the meatbag's mouths) from these meat blobs sucking on it.

... I miss having boots.

"So..." I heaved out while wiping away a bead of sweat from my brows. "Whoever's tired, raise your hand."

Everyone, including Grimm (somehow), raises their hands.

"... Okay." I pant out. "... Take five everyone. We cannot afford to fight the boss like this."

Everyone standing nods in agreement.

I plant the torch on the patch of loose earth as everyone gathers around the light.

"So..." I start out. "Everyone holding out just fine?"

I look around and see a faint traces of doubt despite the two demi-humans nodding "yes".

"C'mon. You can be honest with me." I stated. "No point lying."

"That's the thing, sir." Garou spoke out.

The wolf-lad's gaze then turned towards me. I look into his eyes for any hints or tells of emotion.

Nothing.

They were empty, like how Raphtalia's eyes were at her debut scene.

But it was not of despair.

It was _genuinely_ empty, completely devoid of emotion such as fear and joy. As if something scooped out the very concept of "emotion" out of his soul like some sort of cheap vat of ice cream.

I then look towards Fubuki's for conformation, and it was the very _same_.

"Wait..." I thought out loud.

The Slave Trader did state that they were_ born_ into slavery, and without knowing their parents, along with not being named due to a botched record keeper. Does that have to do with any of their hollowed-out souls?

I mean, in comparison, it was stated that Raphtalia did have a normal life prior to the previous wave (and when everything in that town went straight to hell).

For those two? Can I really assume that they weren't in an enviroment on which they could develop characteristics?

I then let out a gulp before asking the two the essential question for my hypothesis.

"Did you have any masters before I bought you guys?" I asked.

"... You were the first." Fubuki answered.

"How long were you there?" I asked another question.

"As far as we can remember." Garou answered. "The slaver told us that our parents died shortly after we were born."

... I fight the urge to vomit out the boar meat that I had for lunch.

The feeling was that _not_ of nauseating disgust, but pure, burning _rage_. Enough to claim that the flames of hell are _freezing_ in comparison.

I swallow it back in, letting the burning feeling _boil_ deep within my gut.

**"When I reach Level 60, I am going to set this whole world on fire, democratic societal reform be damned."** I grit out.

"**[Cursed Series] Skillset**, unlocked." My HUD stated.

Wait, what?

**Fun Fact: [Cursed Series]**

**When a [Hero] reaches the state of ultimate negativity upon their very soul, that very negative energy turns into a new source of strength.**

**But however, this branch of power comes at a very heavy cost, so usage of this power is recommended to be kept at a minimum (unless you're trying to actively kill yourself, in which case, godspeed you insane bastard).**

**For the [Sword], [Spear], [Bow], and [Shield], a new weapon is unlocked.**

**For the [Tome], however, a new array of [Hex] Skills have been added!**

**Use them at your own risk! And don't forget to have fun! **

**;P**

... Emoji aside, I check my [Hex] skill list out of curiosity.

**[Wrath Conflagration]**

**Activation Cost: 70% HP & 30% MP**

**Spell Duration Time: 3 minutes**

**AOE Range: 1.5 mile radius**

**Place an AOE circle that passively deals Colossal [Fire] and [Dark] damage every .5 seconds.**

**Targets hit by this AOE will be guaranteed to be inflicted with [Burn], [Blight], and [Curse] statuses.**

**Guaranteed Critical hits of the passive AOE damage if caster has either [Fire] or [Dark] affinity.**

**Self-Inflict [Blind], [Bleed], and [Silence] upon activation, with all passive immunity ignored.**

... Wow.

HP and MP cost on top making myself [Blind] (exactly what it says on the tin, and lowers Luck stat by 75%), [Bleed] (passive damage along with gradual lowering of Defense stat], and [Silence] (prevents the usage of Magic Skills).

I then skim down upon the next ones, with each having their own _titanic_ activation costs and _self-mutilating_-levels of drawbacks.

**[Glutton Chasm]**

**Activation Cost: 90% HP & 10% MP**

**Spell Duration Time: 1 minute**

**AOE Range: 5 miles radius**

**Place an AOE circle that passively deals Minor [Earth] damage every 2 seconds.**

**Targets hit by this AOE will have their base HP stat lowered by 75% of its original amount.**

**Guaranteed to inflict [Berserk], [Confusion], [Slow], and [Blight] upon targets if caster has [Earth] affinity.**

**Self-Inflict [Confusion] and [Weaken] upon activation, with all passive immunity ignored.**

**[Greed Graves]**

**Activation Cost: 30% HP & 70% MP**

**Spell Duration Time: 2 minutes**

**AOE Range: .5 mile radius**

**Place an AOE circle that passively deals Major [Light] damage every 1 second.**

**Targets hit by this AOE will have their Luck stat reduced to 0.**

**Deals extra damage depending on the difference between the target's initial Luck stat and the number 0.**

**Guaranteed to inflict [Blind], [Stun], and [Silence] if caster has [Light] affinity.**

**Self-Inflict [Slow] and [Horror] upon activation, with all passive immunity ignored.**

**[Envy Pond]**

**Activation Cost: 60% HP & 40% MP**

**Spell Duration Time: 30 seconds**

**AOE Range: 10 mile radius**

**Place an AOE circle that inflicts Major [Water] and [Ice] damage every .25 seconds.**

**Targets hit by this AOE will have their Agility stat lowered to 0.**

**Guaranteed to inflict [Freeze] and have a 10% chance to inflict [Instant Death] when caster has both [Water] and [Ice] affinities.**

**Self-Inflict [Silence] and 20% chance to reduce HP to 1, with all passive immunity ignored.**

**[Lust Pit]**

**Activation**** Cost: 80% HP & 20% MP**

**Spell Duration Time: 1 minute & 9 seconds (69 joke, ha ha)**

**AOE Range: 1 mile**

**Place an AOE circle that inflicts randomized [Wind] damage at randomized time frames.**

**Targets hit by this AOE will receive guaranteed Critical hits during the AOE's duration time.**

**Guaranteed to inflict [Confusion] and [Horror] when caster has [Wind] affinity.**

**Self-Inflict [Berserk] upon activation, with all passive immunity ignored.**

**[Sloth Box]**

**Activation**** Cost: 50% HP & 50% MP**

**Spell Duration Time: 10 minutes**

**AOE Range: 4 mile radius**

**Place an AOE circle that inflicts Minimal [Lightning] damage every 25 seconds.**

**Targets hit by this AOE will be inflicted [Stun] and have their Defense stat lowered by 25%.**

**Guaranteed Critical hits upon targets with [Stun].**

**Self-Inflict [Blight] upon activation.**

**[Pride Peak]**

**Activation**** Cost: 10% HP & 90% MP**

**Spell Duration Time: 4 minutes**

**AOE Range: .1 mile radius & .5 miles in height**

**Create a tower-like structure that deals Minimal passive [Wind] damage whoever is in the tower.**

**Guaranteed**** to inflict [Silence] and [Blight] upon targets inside [Pride Peak].**

**All of caster's registered [Summons] will spawn as [Encounters] inside [Pride Peak].**

**[Pride Peak] counts as a [Dungeon].**

**Caster must enter [Pride Peak] as [Boss Encounter].**

**[Vanity Blazer]**

**Activation**** Cost: 100% HP**

** Range: 10 miles in distance**

**Deals Lethal [Non-Elemental] damage to all targets within range.**

**Guaranteed**** Fatal blow if caster has [All 8 Elements] as their [Attribute]**

Holy shit...

I thought the [Cursed Series] came post-Wave.

... The only explanation that I can come up with for this kind of crap happening so soon?

I'm basically Naofumi, but hit the level 30-cap _earlier_, and all of his issues coming in _pre-packaged_.

10 years of repressed anger since late-5th grade, about 8 months of professional therapy prior to coming here, and a month in disciplinary school surrounded by ex-convicts and Latino gang members (the closest and worst "sacred straight" experience) for about a month, and combined with my well-grown sense of misanthropy that was developed since 8th grade?

... In hindsight, I make Naofumi look like a_ saint_ in comparison. But I'll tell the man himself that story later.

Until then? Recover.

"Here." I then pass out [Health Potions] around the ring. "Depending on how badly you're all hurt, drink that amount. Overfill, and you muscles will start cramping."

I actually did that one time while on my temporary [Summon-Roc], and I almost fell off 1,000 feet from the air.

Thank god for Grimm and his infinite-length chains.

"So..." I turned towards Garou and Fubuki. "The trader did say that your parents died shortly after you were born, right?"

Both nod.

"And that you weren't given names due to a botched record keeping, right?"

Both nod again.

"... I honestly can't tell if that's a blessing in disguise or a contrived coincidence that some unknown power is fucking with me..." I mutter as I thought about the conditions of my skill, [Fated Encounter].

_"Just how does [Fated Encounter] work?"_ I asked myself. _"I mean, at least I know who to trust or turn away, but I get the feeling that something is controlling me behind the scenes..."_

I swear to god, whoever's behind the message that keeps showing up on my HUD, it better not be someone like freakin' BB.

Stay in the Moon Cell, you damn cancer.

... I'll wait to get blueballed by her Summer Variant in the gacha, _later_.

Ugh, thinking about is not making things any better.

"Here." I then hand the two the goatskin pouch to the two. "Dehydration is the enemy of all life."

The two then take a sip before handing the pouch back to me.

"Thanks." I then take a small sip from the pouch before standing back up with the torch in hand. "C'mon. We got a cave to explore."

My whole party moves out into the other cavern entrance.

The tunnel itself was rather narrow. But not in a way that the way itself was cramped.

But in a way that's just suffocating to be here, like if... _something's_ waiting for us.

And right at the end of the tunnel, was a locked double door made of iron.

"Hey Grimm." I asked my tome. "You think you can just eat through the gates?"

**"I would be, assuming if the damn thing can go in my mouth in the first place."** He replied. **"Guess we're going to need to find a [Boss Key]."**

"UUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH..." I let out really long groan, remembering the damned Courtyard from Darkest Dungeon (lost and Occultist and Bounty Hunter to a Ghoul and the Crocodilian respectively). "... Like I said before, I hate this stinkin' hole already."

**"Chop chop, we ain't got all day."** Grimm then tugs my wrists with his chains as we head back the way we cam from.

"Wait." I speak out. "We should probably leave a marker, just in case."

**"You've got anything that you can mark with?"** The [Enigmatic Tome] asked.

I then pull out one of the loose branches from my bundle and plant it next to the "Boss Alleyway"'s entrance.

I then lead my party towards the other entrance in the cavern's walls.

Thankfully, the alleyway wasn't cramped as the previous one.

... But the gaps lining both sides of the walls are starting look rather _suspicious_.

"Halt." I signal the two behind me.

I pick up a small boulder and throw it across the hallway.

The boulder lands on one of the _many_ (presumably, but very likely) pressure plates, which then triggers the trap.

The trap in question?

Rusted spears shooting out of the gaps of the walls, which would've most likely punctured all of our lungs.

"Grimm." I asked the book chained to me.

**"You've got an idea?"**

"Wanna play minesweeper?" I asked.

**"Why not just crawl under?"** He asked. "The spears seem to only reach to our chest areas."

"If I were making traps here, I would make sure my potential victims would die in many different ways." I stated. "Look down at the lower parts of the walls."

Grimm then slithers onto the stone floors, with his "eye" on the cover scouring like a stingray in the sandy waters of the coast of Australia.

Rest in peace, Steve Irwin.

"See anything!?" I yell out.

**"There's another set of gap running through the both of em'!"** Grimm yells back.

"Umm... let me take a guess." I responded with a groan. "... Circular saw blades?"

**"Try _hook swords_."** He responded.

"Eastern origin?"

**"I see a few bits of fiber scattered, all with faded colors."**

Whoever designed these contraptions had good taste. I should visit this world's version of feudal China sometime.

"Regardless..." I speak out. "How the hell do we get across?"

I then feel something tugging on my leg, which it turned out to be from Garou.

"Talk to me." I replied.

"Up there." He pointed upwards.

I lit the upper parts of the hallway, seeing arches and platforms whatnot.

"Grimm, can you check up there for traps or [Encounters]?" I asked the tome.

**"Light me."**

I then cast [Fireball] onto one of my spare torches.

"Here." I handed the torch to Grimm. "If you see something, come back down and tell me, got it?"

"Why come back down?" He asked.

"My guess?" I surmised. "The [Encounters] might be up there because they're _smart_ enough to avoid the deathtraps right in front of us, henceforth, they took to living higher up."

**"Smart move on their part then."** He remarked as he wrapped his chains around the shaft of the torch.

Grimm then floats upwards towards the elevation.

"See anything!?" I yelled out.

I then hear clanging sounds, like if there are pots and pans crashing down onto the kitchen floor.

As if someone/something was currently _living_ there.

**_"GET OFF OF ME, YOU BUGGERS!"_** Grimm's voice echoed from above.

In doubt, I jerk the chain downwards.

From above, Grimm, now clung on by two _green-eyed_ [Failed Homunculus].

One of them falls towards one of the pressure plates, triggering the booby traps, and the Chinese hook swords snag the little bugger's gut, disemboweling its contents from its translucent skin and flesh.

"Gross..." I moan out. "... [Analyze]."

My skill then aims toward the remaining one still clinging onto Grimm.

**Name: [Failed Homunculus Type-C]**

**Class: [Rare Encounter]**

**Level: 30**

**Affinities: None**

**Alignment: Chaotic Evil**

**Item Drops: [Ruby Core] (25%), [Sapphire Core] (25%), [Emerald Core] (25%), [Diamond Core] (25%)**

**Attack: 20**

**Defense: 20**

**Agility****: 20**

**Luck: 20**

**HP: 150/150**

**MP: 50/50**

Okay.

Should've saw that coming a mile away, since, well, you know.

If there are variants, then there are rarer ones within the mix.

"Alright you two, get ready!" I bark out.

As the two ready themselves for combat, I tug on Grimm's chains to drag the two closer towards me.

Then I pivot my whole body towards my rear, in hopes of throwing the [Type-C] off of Grimm.

"BUGGER OFF, YA BASTARD!"

The [Type-C] then loses its slimy grip as it is then sent flying off into the chambers behind us.

"SURROUND IT!" I ordered as I ran towards it.

The three of us surround it as [Type-C] stands back up with its stubby little feet.

It then raises its runny-looking hand as eight white orbs form around it.

"Oh shit." I mutter out. "EVERYONE! GET BACK!"

Me and my party run like hell as [Type-C] fires out its very own [Spectrum].

So by "none" it means [Non-Elemental]. Brilliant, a mid-dungeon encounter having this world's equivalent of _Megido_.

Well, might as well fight fire with fire then.

"[Spectrum]!" I then shoot my eight-colored rainbow of death towards it.

The [Type-C] then casts a some sort of a crystalline barrier.

... Oh shit, he's _Magus_ from Chrono Trigger.

"ALL OF YOU, DUCK!"

My whole party gets our bellies onto the dirt as the prism _reflects_ my [Spectrum] back towards all of us like a killer disco ball.

"HEY ASSWIPE!" I yelled over the explosions.

[Type-C] then turns its melting mug towards me.

"DISCO'S DEAD!" I stick out my middle finger. "[Analyze]!"

My HUD then scans the little bugger as it _quickly_ waddles towards me.

"[Nil Coating] Skill learned." It messaged.

I then grab the [Type-C] by its jawline to gain physical leverage.

... I really shouldn't have done that.

But then again, nobody expects sawblade-like teeth to come out of a meaty blob of a monster.

***CHOMP***

... And that piggy on my right hand?

The last of it was now being dissolved through [Type-C]'s translucent _digestive system_.

I then roll, thrash, and screech in pain.

"FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKK!" I cried out in pain as the pain of the winds blowing onto my _exposed marrow_ from my bitten-off thumb.

Then my pain turned into _rage_.

I jerk Grimm's chains towards myself, grab the tome's main body, and proceed to smash [Type-C]'s teeth in with Grimm's metallic spine.

An I kept doing so until the meat sack's HP bar reached a _slither_ above 0.

"Hahh... Hahh..." I panted out. "First, my boots. Then, three of my toenails. And now... my _right thumb_."

I then cast [Fireball] with my left hand, and stick my bloody stump onto the flames to cauterize my wound.

Compared to losing a finger, a third-degree burn seemed like _bubble bath_ in comparison.

"... How are ya gonna pay it all back, huh?" I smiled menacingly while cracking my knuckles.

The [Type-C] then hiccups out a silver key.

Said "silver key" turned out to be [Boss Key].

"Good." I surmised. "... But not good enough."

I then opened Grimm's pages and opened to [Negotiate].

"You'll spend the rest of eternity as my [Summon]/indentured servant."

Grimm then devours the meat-blob whole.

"[Failed Homunculus Type-C] added to [Summon]." My HUD stated.

I sigh out in relief as I lay back onto the flat on my back.

"Sir!" I hear the two run towards me.

"Sup kiddos..." I moaned out. "How do I look?" I smiled with pain.

"... You're missing a thumb." Fubuki stated. "Also, there are black parts around the missing finger."

"Sorry." I winced out. "Hand hurt too much to drink a [Health Potion]."

With my remaining good hand (one with five fingers), I shuffle out a [Health Potion] from my sack and down the red vial.

My HP bar on my HUD goes back to being _almost_ full.

"C'mon." I sighed out as I slowly got up. "We've got a [Boss Encounter] to beat."

Me and my party then head (read: waddle) our way back to the posted pathway.

We then stop right in front of the metal door.

"... Everyone ready?" I spoke out.

I look back to see the two of the demi-human siblings nodding "yes".

"... Give me a sec." I then head to the corner of the room and pull down my pants.

... What? I need to pee.

'Nobody poops', my ass. For anime world _doesn't_ equate to anime logic.

**Switching POV: Melromarc Kingdom, Royal Palace Training Grounds**

"THAT BASTARD!" Motoyasu then punches the wall right in front of him. "HOW CAN DO THAT TO HER!?"

"Calm down." Ren stated coolly. "Punching that wall won't solve anything."

"I KNOW!" He yelled back. "It's just..."

The sounds of his teeth clenching squeaked in his ears.

"... I thought heroes weren't supposed to be like this." He breathed out.

"That's not the worst of it." Itsuki stated, currently covered in bandages.

"What do you mean?" Red asked.

"A few... alarming things." The Bow Hero stated. "First, I managed to get a glimpse at Nan's level." He gulped out. "And I'm not going to even sugarcoat it, _we're outgunned_."

The two other heroes then look towards Itsuki.

"... Out of curiosity, what level was he?" Ren asked.

"29." He replied. "And combined with his two other party members, my estimate is their leveling average is around... _27_."

The other heroes turn pale upon the revelation.

"So what you're saying is that that bastard is _twenty levels higher_ then us in the span of two to three days since arrival!?" Motoyasu yelled out. "How!?"

"That brings me to the second issue." Itsuki stated. "Call me crazy, but I think Nan no longer has reservations on murdering people for free EXP."

"... So what you're saying is, is that Nan actually _killed_ people for EXP!?" Ren cried out. "But I thought Emerald Online prohibited PKers and NPC hacking!"

"Umm, guys?" Motoyasu cut in. "I think I know why."

"Explain." Itsuki asked.

"D&D." He spoke out.

"... You mean that old-ass RPG that people used to play back in the _1970s_?" Ren pointed out.

"That's not the issue." The Spear Hero pointed out. "I sort of recalled that in D&D, the player can do _anything_ within his own imagination in each given scenario that the 'Game Master' provides."

The Sword Hero and the Bow Hero now adopt shocked looks on their faces.

"... And the only thing that is stopping the player is the roll of a 20-sided die." The Spear Hero stated.

The three heroes fall into silence.

"So put it simply, Nan is a bigger threat then Naofumi." Ren stated.

"In technicalities, yes." Itsuki spoke out. "Which brings me to my final issue."

The three then walk towards each other to hear his statement better.

"The way he's fighting..." Itsuki spoke out. "... In case you run into him, I highly recommend not fighting him, even when you reach his level."

"And why?" Motoyasu asked.

"He just doesn't use his own weapon when in combat." Itsuki points out. "He sets down traps, uses human shields, and any opening that we so much as even reveal, he'll take advantage of it."

"So he fights like a coward then." Motayasu spat out.

"That notion, I have to disagree." Itsuki stated. "'Cowardly' would imply that each move that Nan made was in desperation, but from the way he was executing his moves... they were _anything_ but desperate."

"So he's a calculated fighter on top of being overleveled." Ren pointed out.

Behind the three heroes, the door opens, revealing Princess Malty, who's covered in bandages and stumbling on crutches.

"Princess!" Motoyasu cried out of concern. "You shouldn't be-!"

"I don't care!" She yelled out. "I heard it all! Who gives a shit!? The only thing left to do is to bring the Shield Devil and that crazy bastard to justice!"

"That's the spirit!" Motoyasu is then immediately swooned towards her bravado.

The Bow Hero and the Sword Hero then trade looks towards each other.

_"... He's such a fucking tool."_ The both thought.

**Back to original POV, Abandoned Research Facility**

"Alright folks..." I then insert the key into the keyhole leading towards the [Boss Room]. "It's do or die."

The key is turned.

The locks break as the hinges begin to creak in long-awaited motion.

The metal doors open, letting out stagnant and dusty air that it kept of itself.

I then light another spare torch as my previous one slowly peters out.

"Alright kiddies..."

I then gulp.

"...Make sure you take everything with you in there."

My whole party then begins to move in.

We then scour the dark room with the only source of light being my torch.

"What the..."

On what it seemed like a wooden table, I spotted _candles_.

"Perfect." I then light the wicks with my torch.

Suddenly, the whole room then lights up from the above.

I then look up to see installed lighting. And judging from the faint buzzing sound coming from them?

"... _Mein gott_." I speak out in awe as I drop my torch onto the stone floor.

So whoever left this all behind, apparent discovered _electricity_.

"Sir!" Garou called out, pointing towards a bronze cylinder standing at the middle of the room.

Steam then hisses out of the sides.

"Kids!" I yelled out. "Get back!"

The bronze cylinder then opens up like a coffin.

The opened lid the reveals what it seemed to look like an androgynous (shoulder-length snow-white hair with slightly boyish/girly face) and genderless (nether regions are literally _bare_) Einzbern Homunculus from the Nasuverse-wait.

"... Oh shit."

I connected the dots of the [Failed Homunculus] and the human-like specimen right in front of us.

A _successful attempt_ is our boss fight.

The albino humanoid then opens its eyes and begins to approach us.

"Eliminate... all..."

Its muscles then begin to bulk up into _threatening_ proportions.

"... INTRUDERS!"

Then my HUD flashes this on my face:

**Perfected Homunculus**

**Perfection has no age (Also no balls; so it'll rip off yours)**

... Borderlands, I like you and all, but please don't tell me that my wager is my very _manhood_.

"... I _hate_ this fucking hole."

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Regarding [Damage Scaling]:

**Minimal: 25% of Attack Stat**

**Minor: 50% of Attack Stat**

**Normal: 100% Attack Stat**

**Major: 200% Attack Stat**

**Colossal: 400% Attack Stat**

**Lethal: 400% Attack Stat & 50% to inflict [Instant Death]**

**Critical Hit: Base Damage x 2**

**Fatal Blow: Base Damage x 4**

* * *

**Name: [Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained], [Nan Hon-Jah]**

**Class: [Tome Hero]**

**Level: 31**

**Affinities****: [All Eight Elements]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Enigmatic Tome, Grimm], [Basic Rune Chainmail], [Warlock Garbs]**

**Attack: 33 (+10)**

**Defense: 22 (+4)**

**Agility: 25 (-6)**

**Luck: 28 (-5)**

**HP: 200 (+15)**

**MP: 290 (+40)**

* * *

**Name: [Garou]**

**Class: [Slave Fighter]**

**Level: 28**

**Affinities****: [Dark]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment****: [Short Sword], [Basic Chainmail], [Shadow Cloak], [Shadow Gauntlets]**

**Attack: 30 (+23)**

**Defense: 24 (+4)**

**Agility: 19 (+17)**

**Luck: 8 (+3)**

**HP: 300 (-90)**

**MP: 80 (-50)**

* * *

**Name: [Fubuki]**

**Class: [Slave Mage]**

**Level: 28**

**Affinities****: [Ice]**

**Alignment****: True Neutral**

**Equipment****: [Winter Solstice], [Winter Witch's Garbs], [Winter Witch's Hat]**

**Attack: 29 (+15)**

**Defense: 16 (+10)**

**Agility: 24 (+5)**

**Luck: 16 (+2)**

**HP: 180 (-20)**

**MP: 350 (+50)**

* * *

So how was this Epic?

And how will my party's first boss will play out?

And how will my SI will go through losing his _thumb_ and _3_ toenails?

Leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience is thinking.


	7. Epic 7: The Dungeon Part Finale

**_Continuing self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_First Boss, [Perfected Homunculus] approaching._**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

**_Epic 7: The Dungeon Part Finale_**

* * *

The albino humanoid then bumrushes towards us with its left arm spread out like if its about to do a clothesliner.

**"[Hammer Torque]!"**

I roll out of the out as the [Perfected Homunculus] digs its left arm into the stone wall behind where I used to be.

"[Fireball]!" I then shoot a ball of fire towards the stuck albino.

**"[Full Coating]!"** The albino then coats itself with a veil of rainbow light.

The [Fireball] bounces off of its skin.

"Oh shit!" I then roll out of the way while casting [Analyze].

Next time I go into a [Dungeon], I'm bringing a [Bird Eye] with me to make my life easier.

**Name: [Perfected Homunculus]**

**Class: [Boss Encounter]**

**Level: 35**

**Affinities: [All Eight Elements]**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Item Drops: [Prism Core] (100%)**

**Attack: 40**

**Defense: 40**

**Agility****: 30**

**Luck: 10**

**HP: 300/300**

**MP: 300/300**

"So [Full Coating] reflects magic types based off the caster's affinities that it _has_..." I muttered. "And I guess [Nil Coating] reflects magic types based off the caster's affinities that it _lacks_, huh?"

"Piercing winds of the North! White gales of the merciless winter! Grant me thy powers to subdue my enemies with the power of biting ice!" Fubuki then casts her very first offensive spell.

... With said target still having [Full Coating] _on_.

"FUBUKI! NO!"

"[Freeze Shot]!" A light-blue orb of ice then shoots our of her staff.

Now normally, the [Perfected Homunculus] would just stand there and tank it like a _badass_ to show that her powers are useless. But here?"

The bastard is _smart_ enough to _catch_ said shot and throw it back towards her.

"FUBUKI!" I cried out as a cold explosion surrounds her.

When the cold air subsides, the fox-lass turns out fine.

"... Ah right." I realized. "[Winter Witch Set]. Immunity to [Ice]?"

The fox-lass gives me a thumbs-up.

"Good girl." I then rush towards the [Perfected Homunculus].

... Like a _bloody idiot_.

As soon as I got close to perform [Chastise], the albino then grapples me into a friggin' _German Suplex Hold_.

**"[Shocktouch]."**

The albino's whole body then lights up like a fuse box struck by lighting.

And by that, I'm just grateful that the stone floor wasn't doused in water, or else I've might've gotten the right to claim that I got shocked by an _electric eel_.

Nasty buggers.

As for me getting shocked? Good news and bad news.

Good news? My [Warlock Garbs] is lowering all magical damage that I take, so my HP bar was like being chipped away mere _10_ points total.

Bad news?

I was still being _electrocuted_, and that my MP bar was depleting at an _alarming_ rate.

Which one hurts _more_?

There is _no_ distinction between the two, because either way, my gray matter was being boiled inside its own fluids like a chicken (whole) in a pressure cooker.

... I swear to god that I saw _smoke_ coming out of my mouth. The shock should've fried my brain, but I'm grate that I was still functioning.

Albeit _barely_. My eyes were fucking blurry, my muscles were in a state of unending spasm, and I think I've might have pissed myself.

... Forget the electric eel comparison, I'll take the _electric chair_ instead.

"Garou!" I yelled out.

The wolf-lad then rushes towards the albino with his [Short Sword] in hand.

He then thrusts toward the [Perfected Homunculus].

... The [Short Sword] _breaks_ between the albino's teeth.

"... Aw bugger." I bit out while trying to readjust my twitching body back to normal.

The wolf-lad, however, is undeterred.

In fact, his hands now ball into fists.

... In my defense, I kinda made a connection with Garou's natural affinity towards the [Katar] back at the smith, and his struggle with the [Short Sword] that I've hastily equipped onto him.

Garou's no [Fighter].

"HE'S A MUTHAFUCKING [Monk] CLASS!"

The wolf-lad's fist then lands onto the [Perfected Homunculus]'s left jaw, with blood dripping out of the corner of its lips.

Garou jumps back away from the albino after landing a clean blow.

**"So..."** The [Perfected Homunculus] stated. **"The boy has natural aptitude for combat..."**

Garou _doesn't_ talk back, and instead raises his fists covered by his [Shadow Gauntlets], ready to fight the [Boss Encounter] bare-handed.

**"Very well..."** The albino then cracks his neck along with his knuckles. **"I shall study your physiology _after_ studying your combat prowess."**

And during that time, I cast [Analyze] again towards the [Perfected Homunculus].

"[Hammer Torque], [Full Coating], and [Shocktouch] Skills learned." My HUD stated.

As the two begin to match blow for blow (with Garou somehow keeping up), I then go through the Skills that I've just learned.

**Skill: [Hammer Toque]**

**Rarity: [Copper]**

**Type: [Physical]**

**Cost: 25 MP**

**Deals major [Non-Elemental] damage to single target**

**30% chance to land Critical Hits**

**10% chance to inflict [Stun]**

**Skill: [Full Coating]**

**Rarity: [Silver]**

**Type: [Enhancement]**

**Cost: 100 MP**

**Grants damage protection to the caster's elemental affinities**

**Skill: [Shocktouch]**

**Rarity****: [Silver]**

**Type: [Physical]**

**Cost: 50 MP**

**Deals minor [Lighting] to single target**

**Single target will change into multi-target if area has water**

**15% chance to inflict [Stun]**

**Drains MP upon extended contact**

Garou then lands another blow to the albino's stomach, causing the [Perfected Homunculus] to keel back.

"Let's try something else, then." I then run towards the boss with Grimm in tow. "[Bite]!"

The tome then opens its fangs.

**"[Nil Coating]."** The fangs don't sink into the boss's skin.

I was planning for that.

"[Fireball]!"

The orb of flames hit the albino's head, causing its head to catch fire.

"Guys!" I yelled out. "That guy can change its elemental immunites on the fly!"

"So what to we do!?" Garou says right before being kicked off towards the cave walls.

"Attack one at a time!" I then throw another [Fireball] towards the albino.

**"[Full Coating]!"** A rainbow veil then covers the [Perfected Homunculus].

I duck under the reflected projectile.

"GAROU, NOW!"

The wolf-lad then sucker-punches the boss in its jaw, taking a decent chunk of his HP bar upon landing.

"[Chastise]!" I then swing the chain, directing Grimm's spine towards the albino's head.

**"[Nil Coating]!"** A pale veil surrounds the figure, causing the book to bounce off of it.

"FUBUKI!"

"[Freeze Shot]!" A ball of ice shoots towards the homunculus, encasing its arm into a block of ice.

But before I can trigger its defensive shift, Garou runs towards the boss with his [Shadow Gauntlets] emitting black [Dark] energy.

"[Shadow Strike]!" The wolf-lad then swings his darkness-enhanced fist towards the boss.

**"[Full Coating-"**

"[Fireball]!"

Before the boss can switch its immunity, I interrupted the casting with a well-placed explosion to its face.

The blow goes through, causing the boss to stagger, which then I find a window opportunity to land the finishing blow.

"Grimm!" I yell out. "Wrap my arm!"

The tome then wraps its chains around my stretched-out arm.

"Alright..." I then roll my shoulder on my right. "... Time to go _Hulk Hogan_ on its pale ass."

I charge towards the still-dazed boss with my right arm stretched out.

"[Hammer Torque]!" I then lash out the chain-wrapped arm towards the [Nil Coating]-enhanced boss's face.

Seeing my attempt, and the fact that it still had its [Nil Coating] on, it doesn't even bother changing its immunity.

... He fell for it, for who says that you can't interrupt your _own_ skills?

"[Shocktouch]!" I execute the fake-out as Grimm's chains wrapped around my arm begin to emit electricity.

"Combo Skill, [Lightning Charge], learned." My HUD messaged.

My arm sinks into its jawline, delivering roughly _1.5 million volts_ directly into the [Perfected Homunculus] from his tongue, cooking it well-done, _inside-out_.

I then see a lightning/[Stun] symbol on top of the boss's HP bar.

As it stumbles around in daze, I then give it a parting gift.

... And by "parting gift", I meant [Burst Mine] towards where it was stumbling.

Wrapped up with _my_ middle finger.

***BOOM***

Giblets rain down upon us, leaving a small ball of rainbow-colored [Prism Core] where it once stood.

**_+150,000 EXP_**

And before I can celebrate, Garou and Fubuki start glowing.

... Oh right, level 30. What the hell is this, fucking _Pokemon_?

Never got to watch the Detective Pikachu movie, though (IRL, I did, but hey, SI's immersion)... Hopefully I can watch it when I get back.

From their preteen forms, the two finally grow up into young adults/my age range.

"Come 'ere, you two." I then jerk them towards myself and give the two of them a big hug with Grimm joining in by wrapping his chains around all of us.

"Ow ow ow ow ow..." I mumble out. "Grimm, our bones are gonna pop..."

**"Oh right, sorry."** The book releases us from his chains.** "I dunno, it's like watching kids grow up right in front of ya..." **He sniffed out.

"They did, _literally_." I point out.

The [Enigmatic Tome]'s chains slug my shoulder.

"Right, sorry bout that..." I mumbled.

"So sir..." The grown-up Garou spoke out, oddly sounding like _Bryce Papenbrook_.

"... Just call me Nan." I stated.

"Nan..." Garou continued. "The coffin..."

He then points towards the bronze coffin escalating back down to the earth.

From the gap, came a _silver tube_.

"N-Nan?" Fubuki's _Cassandra Lee_-like voice spoke out. "W-What's that?"

"Well, we beat the boss, so I guess this is either another fight..."

The silver tube then slides opens its elevator-like doors, revealing the same [Perfected Homunculus]... in a_ butler suit_.

The displaced Einzbern servant-looking muthafucker then walks towards the [Prism Core], picks it up, and hands it to me.

"... Eh?" I grunt out.

"I suspect that you've all passed the_ test_?" The albino butler stated.

We all nod with confused looks on our faces.

"Then here." He stated. "This [Prism Core] is the symbol of your _newfound ownership_ of this whole research facility."

"EEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?" We all cried out in surprise.

Not that I'm complaining, but did we stumble into our _new hideout_!?

"... Thanks." I then take the core from the butler's gloved hands.

"Now this way." The butler gestured towards the elevator.

"[Proprietor] Title unlocked." My HUD announced.

I then come into the elevator, with two demi-human comparisons squeezing into it, and Grimm wrapping himself around my arm.

The doors close, and then we head downwards.

As we head down, I begin to ask questions.

"So tell me..." I asked the butler. "What's your name?"

"My name used to be [Darnic] from my previous master, but now with you taking ownership of this domain, I must now be bestowed upon with a new name and add myself to your [Summon]."

"Wait, how do you know about this [Summon]?" I asked.

"To the point, my previous master was also a [Tome Hero] like you." He answered.

"... Oh." I then start to question this contrived coincidence, but then again, this is the exact same world where the [Shield Hero] gets shat on for his mere existence, the events around the whole Three Heroes bullshit seemed like it was _scripted_ (probably Malty), and let's not forget to address the _cosmos-sized elephant_ in the room.

... To the ones that have already finished the Web Novels, you_ know_ what I'm talking about.

"We're here." The elevator stops and the doors in front of us open.

But due to how _cramped_ we were in there, all of us in the elevator pile off like a loose bundle of potatoes.

"Oh, and next time." I spoke to the butler. "Get a bigger elevator."

"There is no need, sir." He stated while standing back up.

Behind us, the elevator all but disappears.

I then stand back up to see that me and my party were now in what it can be described as a medieval-fantasy version of a _Vault 111_ from Fallout 4.

Space itself was big as the interiors of the Melromarc Kingdom's castle, if not, _bigger_. The whole space had numerous neatly-stacked piles of books and lab equipment all over this facility, tables littered with rare-looking magical tools and [Equipment], a friggin' _magitek_ _supercomputer nexus_ at the center of the room, and best of all,

... A functioning _restroom_ and _showers_, as shown by the signs by the doors.

I then drag the homunculus closer towards me.

"If it weren't for the fact that your lookalike tried to rip my balls off, I would've kissed you now for providing me with all this." I speak out without thinking.

Speaking of without thinking, I just realized that my head was bleeding, my back was sore, and my insides feel too warm.

"It seems that you've all taken substantial damage from the previous encounter." The butler stated. "If you wish to recover, then please, head to the showers. It's enchanted waters have healing properties that heals all minor cuts, wounds, aches, and of course, grime. No shampoo or soap required."

Without saying anything and batting not a single look, me and whole party _bounce_ into the showers.

"Oh, and mind you, sir." The butler cut in. "The showers are _co-ed_."

"Hey Nan." Fubuki asked. "What does co-ed mean?"

"... It means that we all have to see each other_ naked_." I stated bluntly.

Yeah, unlike the majority of my gender from animeland, I _don't_ mince words, _no matter_ what subject.

I then look back at the two, both of them stone-faced.

"... I take it that you don't have any problems, whatsoever?" I ask.

The two look at me with confused looks.

"Is there a problem?" Garou asks.

"As long as Garou's with me, I have no complaints." Fubuki stated.

I then let out a frustrated sigh.

"... Let's all agree to keep our hands to ourselves, agreed?"

"Got it." The two reply at the same time.

With that all said, my whole party head into the showers, with me trying _not_ to get any funny ideas.

... Shut up, I'm still 18.

**Switching POV: The Homunculus Butler (nee-[Darnic])**

The three party members entered the showers as he watched them.

After the doors behind them are shut, the butler then heads to the central nexus of the [Abandoned Research Facility] and begins to type something into it.

**[Ocean Bacon]**

The holographic screen then projects several files of numerous observations, theories, and daily logs as nee-Darnic's previous master had made.

He then guides the pointer to the file at the very bottom, and clicks on it.

**Record File #50,368**

**Year 15, Day 257**

**My work here is done.**

**Countless days of research and observations of this world and its natural laws have now been preserved.**

**A total of 9,999 [Orichalcum-Grade Equipment] and 10,000 [Scrolls] have now been sealed behind the vault away from Melromarc and Siltvelt Kingdom's prying eyes.**

**Facility is now triple-checked to ensure that it'll remain self-sufficient for as long as no one finds this place.**

**Which then brings me a few concerns.**

**Concern One: The future [Four Heroes].**

**The four [Legendary Weapons] are confirmed to have gone missing from their shrines and tombs, presumably during the war Melromarc and Siltvelt.**

**I can only fear the worst should such great power is being monopolized.**

**Instead of them saving the world as they're supposed to, they be instead used to conquer other worlds as weapons of mass destruction.**

**Concern Two: The [Waves].**

**[Encounters] spawned from said phenomenon are steadily growing more stronger wave after wave.**

**According to the public, the knowledge of the [Waves] have been kept under wraps, maybe to keep peace within the populace, but in my opinion, methinks it my be for PR reasons for both sides.**

**Regardless, tensions between kingdoms have cooled down significantly, but clearly unbalanced and soon to boil over soon.**

**The [Seven Star Weapons] have also gone into the hands of these kingdoms and being passed on hand to hand as I speak, meaning that the insurance of the possible issues regarding the [Four Heroes] should arise is now null and void.**

**Simply put, I can no longer trust the outside world to handle such clusterfuck-**

_**Master, language.**_

**R-Right. Sorry.**

**Ahem.**

**And finally, my final concern of the future; my successor.**

**All of this knowledge, all of this wisdom, and all of my work, must befall upon worthy hands.**

**With that, I entrust you with this, Darnic.**

_**A book... on a chain, master?**_

**Not just any book.**

**But rather, the key.**

**The key to find my worthy heir.**

**I shall use the unused part of this facility as a [Dungeon] to see if they're worthy of such resources.**

**Darnic, my final request is that you put this into the leyline between the summoning of the four heroes. This [Enigmatic Tome] can discern which user is worthy to such power.**

**I made sure that it doesn't work under the mechanics of the summoning of the [Four Heroes], but at the same time, it can work within like, sort of like a bug within an established system.**

_**You mean like an object that doesn't work within the established laws yet still exists within it?**_

**Correct-**

***cough* *cough***

_**Master! Are you all right!?**_

**Not for much longer, I'm afraid.**

**Please, leave me be until I finish my will.**

_**... Understood.**_

**Thank you-**

***cough***

Upon finishing the recording, the butler finds another link at the bottom of the screen.

**Confirmation of the [Tome Hero] entering the [Dungeon] and passing the test: [Confirmed]**

**Play Link?**

**[Yes]**

**[No]**

With a heavy heart and stuffed emotions building up within his artificial soul, the butler makes his choice.

**[Yes]**

An audio line-out appears on the screen.

**[My Will]**

**Now to Darnic, if you're watching this now, then I'm assuming that you've found my successor, and if possible, I'm assuming that companions are also present.**

**Either way, I want you to join my successor.**

**See the outside world, collect more knowledge for the sake of the future.**

**I may have grown bitter and resentful of this world for its rampant ignorance and idiocy, but it's because that I feel that way that I want to save it.**

**The world may resist the change that it needs, but here are my last words to my successor.**

***cough***

**If you feel that the world is turning against you, then make it turn towards your direction.**

**Every man has the ability to become a superman.**

**Ignorance and evil exists only to be conquered and from it, evolve ourselves towards goodness and wisdom.**

**We all grow up as we live our lives. But wisdom is the fire that makes the tinder known as life won't go to waste.**

**Waste nothing.**

**Spare no ones that are trapped in their own world.**

**Reach out towards the ones that pray for change.**

**Never be content.**

**Have the strength to flip the whole world over on its head and usher in a new era of enlightenment.**

**And as for you, Darnic...**

**Thank you.**

**And please-**

***COUGH*  
**

***COUGH***

***SPLAT***

**Make this world...**

**Worth...**

**... Saving.**

The sound of a_ flatline_ echoes throughout the empty room.

"I heard it all."

Nee-Darnic then turns around to find the current [Tome Hero] behind him, but his whole body wrapped in a towel and dripping wet.

"... So you know what to do, then?" The butler spoke to Nan.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st Person**

"In a way, yeah." I spoke as I walked towards one of the tables. "Kinda obvious when you put the log's volume over max."

The butler then gives me a weird look.

"... Check your speakers."

The albino then checks back to the central nexus.

"... Blast." He cursed. "I put it up to 12..."

"Happens to the best of us, pal." I then looks towards a rather familiar-looking hourglass on the table.

"... Portable... Dragon's... HOURGLASS!?"

I freak and as I backstep, I slip on my own wet feet and land on something soft.

... Said something soft being Fubuki's fully-developed (but thankfully-towel-concealed) breasts.

"... Ugh, fuck." I curse under my breath. "... Garou!?"

"Here..." The wolf-teen then looks at me with a_ vicious_ glare.

Without uttering a word, I get the hell off.

"... Sorry bout' that." I stuttered out.

"Nan... it's fine." The wolf-teen stated as he picked up his twin sister off of the floor.

"Ugh..." I groaned out. "I'll go change first."

Before I head back in, the butler places his hand on my shoulder.

"Sir, change of clothes including fresh undergarments are available where your [Equipment] was." He stated. "Speaking of which, I've already taken the liberty of washing said equipment and armor, which are now being currently being dried out."

"Awesome." I then rush into the showers, where a basket of fresh white clothes were waiting for me.

"Huh." I then look at Garou's and Fubuki's pile of fresh clothing.

Pure white tank-tops and boxer-shorts.

Gender-neutral clothing, aka, the most efficient kind.

**"By the way, you know that you suck at talking to other people, right?"** Grimm jabbed.

"Shuddup. I ain't a people-person."

**Whole party finishes changing...**

"So, let's just get one elephant out of the room." I talked to the butler while the other two were wandering around the facility. "So this whole Vault 111 shit... used to belong to my... _predecessor_?"

"If you are referring to the previous [Tome Hero], then yes, he is indeed your predecessor." The butler answered.

"How long was he around in this world?" Garou asked.

"Judging from his physical appearance, heart-rate, brain waves, and cognitive fluency, I estimated him to be around the age of 32 when he first created me, and around the age of 47 when he died of tuberculosis."

"Nan, what's tuberculosis?" Fubuki asked.

"Sickness that makes you cough out blood, usually with no conventional cures." I bluntly stated.

The fox-teen then adopts a glum look.

**"... Really?"** Grimm stated.

All I can do was grumble.

"Anywho..." I continue on. "So all of this these crap around us is roughly a decade and a half's worth of research on... I'm assuming literally _everything_ about this world and lore, with more that no one but us might know about, correct?"

"You've get the rough idea." He responded. "Although if you wish to know more in detail, then I recommend reading through all of these notes."

I then look at my [Clock] on the bottom-right of my HUD, currently reading 5:58 PM.

Then I hear grumbling, which I then look towards my party members.

"... Oh right." I stated towards the two. "Your accelerated growth means that your metabolisms are now at an all-time high, right?"

"If it means that we want food, then yes." Garou bluntly answered.

"Shall I provide tonight's dinner?" The butler stated. "My previous master has made this whole place self-sufficient."

I look at the two behind me, both of them, eyes sparkling and lips drooling.

... Oh shit, I think I know what's what.

Demi-human-physiology is that of a mix between a human's and the animals that they're based off, so in essence, it all comes down to a toss of a coin.

This whole notion was glossed over in the earlier parts of the original web novel, since Raphtalia is part _raccoon_.

Aka, _omnivores_.

Fubuki is classified as a fox demi-human (omnivore), but considering that her twin, Garou, is part-wolf, along with the fact that they're _blood-related_...

"... Mr. butler."

"Yes?"

"Can you hand me a vegetable?" I asked. "I need to confirm a few things."

"Here." In my hands was a freshly-picked cucumber.

I then point the vegetable towards the two, ignoring the fact that I _really_ miss my thumb right now.

The two back away instantly, with looks of _horror_ in their eyes, looking at it like if it was the face of _pure evil_.

"Hey you two!" I yell out. "What's causing you to act like this!?"

"I-I don't know!" Garou cried back. "It _doesn't_ look normal!"

Behind him, Fubuki nods in agreement.

Yep, my fears were confirmed.

Coin toss dictates that Garou and Fubuki are bonafide _carnivores_.

"... You have any source of meat for those two over there?" I asked.

"We have artificially-grown meat that uses the same principle of creating spare [Homunculus] bodies." The butler stated.

"Really didn't need to know that..." I groaned out. "... Just try to make sure that it looks and tastes like game meat."

"Understood." The butler then dashes towards the kitchen with the utmost haste.

I then devour the cucumber, letting the two demi-humans know that the threat is gone.

"... We're gonna have to work on that, you know that?" I pointed out.

"Just don't make us... eat them." Garou gagged out.

Okay, it's also worth mentioning that demi-humans are also omnivores like humans are, but considering the fact that the of them were literally born into slavery, and probably were treated like animals in the carnivorous area of a _zoo_...

... We'll tackle that tall order later. Until then.

"... Let's have a look around before dinner starts." I spoke out.

"Got it." The two then make their separate ways and begins to wander around the room.

"Grimm, can you make sure that they don't break or topple down anything?" I whispered out.

The tome's chains then begin to extend outwards endlessly.

As I let the [Enigmatic Tome] handle two party members, I then head towards the table where the hourglass was.

I then pick up the small hourglass with a chain around it from the table with my _left hand_.

"Key Item: [Portable Dragon's Hourglass], acquired." My HUD messaged.

Yeah.

... That just happened.

I then check the [Portable Dragon's Hourglass] in my [Key Items] list to see what it is.

**[Portable Dragon's Hourglass]**

**[Key Item]**

**Time until next [Wave]: 10 Days, 6 Hours, 19 Minutes, 4 Seconds**

**[Teleport-Beacon]: Set a [Beacon] in a certain area, which will be added to the [Teleport List]. Areas in the list added by [Beacon] will be teleported via activating [Teleport].**

**[Teleport List]:**

**{The ****Archive}**

Neato.

The [Portable Dragon's Hourglass] is like the Shikah Slate from Breath of the Wild.

All it needs to do is to transform into a dirt bike, then it'll come full circle.

At the bottom of the hourglass, I see a folded-up note taped onto it.

I take off the note from it, and read as the following:

**Unable to reach the Church where the main [Dragon's Hourglass] is located by the time of completion of this replica.**

**Place this replica onto the main hourglass to copy all of its properties ([Class Promotion] & [Teleport-Epicenter]) in order for to completely replicate the [Dragon's Hourglass].**

**Good luck.**

So, in my four-fingered hand was a pendent version of that giant-ass hourglass that the so-called heroes needed to "save the world".

... I'm going to enjoy this, am I?

With that thought out of the way, I then spot three [Scrolls] behind where the [Portable Dragon's Hourglass] was.

Hmm, might as well treat myself.

I then open up one of the scrolls and see its texts glow towards me before disappearing.

"[Anti-Zweit] Passive Skill, learned." My HUD announced.

Boo yah, checking.

**Skill: [Anti-Zweit]**

**Rarity: [Gold]**

**Type: [Passive]**

**Nullify all [Zweit]-related Skills, including the caster's whole party.**

Oh I can't wait to wipe that smug-ass grin off of literally everyone's faces.

[Zweit] Skills are a main staple of this world's magical casting, and me having a [Passive] that prevents it from happening in the first place?

Tier-1-spells only, bitches.

I then open up another [Scroll] to see what happens next.

"[Dritte-Casting] Passive Skill, learned."

Wait, what?

**Skill: [Dritte-Casting]**

**Rarity: [Gold]**

**Type: [Passive]**

**MP cost of all [Magical] Skills are now reduced to a third of its original cost.**

**[Magical] Skills have their damage rate tripled.**

Wait, let me recall my mental German dictionary before I start celebrating.

_Zwei_ mean two in German, so that mean _Dri_ means..._ three_.

I starting cackling so hard that it puts that red-haired-piece-of-shit-of-a-princess's _overbloated_ ego to shame.

They're now stuck with Tier-1 Spells while I get to spam friggin' _Tier-3_ Spells.

... _Now_, I celebrate.

"HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT, YOU BLOODY SOW OF A WHORE!" I cry out loud while jabbing both of my middle fingers up into the air.

Amidst my raving, however, I bump into a bookcase behind me, and soon as I look up...

*WHACK*

*THUD*

...

**[Nan Hon-Jah is now currently out of commission]**

**[Please wait until he regains his consciousness]**

**[Reboot?]**

**[Yes]**

**[No]**

**...**

**[Yes]**

**[Welcome back, sunshine]**

**[Try not to act like a total spaz this time around]**

**[:P]**

**Back to the world outside...**

"Na..."

"... an."

"... Nan..."

"Huuh? Wha-"

"NAN!"

I screech out in panic as I am dragged back into the living.

In my vision, I see a tearing up Fubuki, a grimacing Garou, and one homunculus butler tending to my bump on top of my head.

"... Is it dinner?" I ask a stupid question.

"Dinner was around an _hour_ ago." Garou stated in an unamused tone.

**"Yeah man."** Grimm cut in.** "You were out like a light."**

"I shall reheat your dinner after I'm done attending your injury, sir." The butler stated.

"Rockstar..." I then made the devil-horns gesture.

"... Rockstar?" The butler stated. "Why does that word and gesture sound and look... so _familiar_?"

"What was that?"

"Nothing important, sir." The butler then _suddenly_ tightens my bandages around my head.

"Ugh, anyway..." I then turn my head towards my left, where I saw a backpack-sized _iron chest_. "Holy shit... _That_, fell on me?"

I then thank my stats and lucky stars that I managed to get away with just a _concussion_.

"What the hell's in there, anyway?" I then reached out towards the chest.

I try to force the chest open, but no avail.

"... Let's just finish dinner before we can go back to getting ourselves hurt, agreed?" The butler stated.

"Yes sir." All three of us then head into one of the rooms in the vault, with me taking the chest with me.

... Bad idea.

I grab the handlebars on the side, only for me to be torqued down, _nearly_ dislocating my shoulder.

Just what the hell's in there that's making it so damn heavy? Or what is the chest made of?

... Scratch that. Just what the hell's the _bookcase_ made of to hold up the chest without breaking?

With those thoughts in my mind (among with everything else that mindfucked me today), I then head into the dining room/the only place where I can smell the cooking oil to get my fill.

By the time I take my seat, I try to pick up a spoon with my right hand.

*clang*

... I miss my thumb. Gonna have to get used to my left-

*clang*

... Well shit.

Damn you, muscle memory.

The price of having a cheat that the other heroes blame Naofumi for?

Ahahahahaha...

... I'm not breaking the rules, you noobs.

I'm merely _exploiting_ them to my party's advantage.

And if this world ain't gonna play fair...

... Why _fucking_ bother sticking to the rules?

"... I need a replacement thumb, and fast." I muttered out while chewing on the stir-fried green beans.

"I can do that, good sir." The butler stated out of nowhere, but not fazing me (too busy eating). "But I require materials."

"Alright." I then turn around while slurping the veggies into my mouth. "What do you need?"

"Some [Iron Ore] (x2), [Spider Silk] (x2), and a [Intermediate Magic Ore] (x1)." The butler stated. "With them, I'll be able to scrounge up a functioning prosthetic in a short notice."

... Well, I'll be damned.

At least I now what to do for tomorrow.

My _very first_ fetch quest.

With that in mind, I then quickly make a mental checklist on what to do next:

**1\. Get a new thumb (Complete fetch quest)**

**2\. Reach the Level 40 cap by the end of the [Wave] (Or before, post-[Wave] is deadline).**

**3\. Catch and recruit many high-rarity [Encounters] before and during the [wave] (Do not let the heroes kill [Chimera] or any other [Boss Encounters] at all costs)**

**4\. Vandalize as much of Melromarc as possible (Avoid the Smith, Magic Shop, Clothing Store, and the Slaver's Tent [Relatively friendly; DO NOT HARM]), before leaving Melromarc until the whole Church of Three Heroes Bullcrap blows over.**

**4a. Main Targets of vandalism: **

*** The Church of the Three Heroes: Copy the properties of the Dragon's Hourglass (Priority One), s****teal all of their shit (Gold, Holy Water, Artifacts, and _especially_ the Crystal Balls), kill all those who stand in my way (Feeding Grimm), burn the whole temple down (To "deliver a message"), and give the Archbishop a wedgie and hang him somewhere public (Optional).**

*** The Castle's Treasury: Steal all of the gold and arms as much as time given (Note: go after the [Four Heroes]'s payment first), and give the whole court a massive middle finger via paper note.**

**5\. Upon sneaking into Melromarc pre-[Wave], buy a [Dragon Egg] and a [Filolial Egg] via [Fated Encounter] (Leave one for Naofumi and make sure that he gets Filo, period).**

Tall order?

Maybe.

... For_ other_ people.

But for me?

At least I'll keep myself busy until then.

**Time Remaining Before [Wave] Starts:**

**10 Days**

**4 Hours**

**28 Min****utes**

**25 Seconds**

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Regarding leveling scales of [Heroes]/[Party Members] and [Encounters]...

[Encounters] have stats either lower, equal, or higher then the [Heroes]/[Party Members].

To quote Vegeta from DBZ Abridged, "Power Levels are bulls*it!" [Levels] and [Stats] in the fic are super-inconsistent between [Heroes]/[Party Members] and [Encounters], so level-grinding is _mandatory_ unless you want to be eaten alive.

That, or you're nigh-impregnable like Naofumi, but my SI's weapon is a friggin _book_ with teeth, so my offense and defense options are _never_ straightforward.

Oh, and just to get it out there:

**Max Level Cap**: 999

**Max Stat (Attack, Defense, Agility, & Luck):** 9,999

**Max Stat (HP & MP):** 99,999

Also, the Skill splits, now clarified (to the best of my abilities).

**[Physical]: **Low MP cost average, but physical action is required.

**[Magical]: **Higher MP cost average, but no physical action is required, and incantation only needs to be said once before spell becomes automatic.

**[Enhancement]: **Self stat-buffs, MP costs varies.

**[Weakening]:** Targeted stat-debuffs, MP costs varies.

**[Passive]: **Skills with set-in auto-effects upon being equipped.

Oh, and to quote Uncle Chan: **ONE MORE THING!**

[Equipment] & [Scroll] Rarity ratings (Forgot to do it until now & for context):

**[Bronze]: **1 Star

**[Copper]: **2 Stars

**[Silver]: **3 Stars

**[Gold]: **4 Stars

**[Platinum]: **5 Stars

**[Mythril]: **6 Stars

**[Orichalcum]: **7 Stars

Also, one last oversight to address:

On why bosses have proportionate MP stats, but never runs out?

... Look up the trope "The Computer is a Cheating Bastard" for context.

* * *

**Stat Updates:**

* * *

**Name: [Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained], [Nan Hon-Jah]**

**Class: [Tome Hero]**

**Level: 32**

**Affinities****: [All Eight Elements]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Enigmatic Tome, Grimm], [Basic Rune Chainmail], [Warlock Garbs]**

**Attack: 33 (+10)**

**Defense: 24 (+4)**

**Agility: 26 (-6)**

**Luck: 28 (-5)**

**HP: 220 (+15)**

**MP: 300 (+40)**

* * *

**Name: [Garou]**

**Class: [Slave Fighter]**

**Level: 30**

**Affinities****: [Dark]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment****: [Basic Chainmail], [Shadow Cloak], [Shadow Gauntlets]**

**Attack: 33 (+20)**

**Defense: 25 (+4)**

**Agility: 21 (+17)**

**Luck: 10 (+3)**

**HP: 330 (-90)**

**MP: 110 (-50)**

* * *

**Name: [Fubuki]**

**Class: [Slave Mage]**

**Level: 30**

**Affinities****: [Ice]**

**Alignment****: True Neutral**

**Equipment****: [Winter Solstice], [Winter Witch's Garbs], [Winter Witch's Hat]**

**Attack: 31 (+15)**

**Defense: 17 (+10)**

**Agility: 24 (+5)**

**Luck: 19 (+2)**

**HP: 200 (-20)**

**MP: 380 (+50)**

* * *

Powerful as my SI is, it's going to be hell to get around doing simple things like picking up a spoon.

Such is the price of power.

_Always disproportionate_.

So what do guys think of this chapter?

Will this "Vault 111"-lookalike be the _Pandora's Box_ that the whole world around the SI desperately needs?

Will my task list will drastically fuck up the timeline more than it needs to?

And will I have to change my name to **9 Fingers (_without_ 3 balls) **(First Boss of Borderlands 1 reference)?

Leave a comment or a review, for I'd love to know what my audience are thinking.


	8. Epic 8: The Discovery

**_Continuing self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_Finger Count: 9/10_**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

**_Epic 8: The Discovery_**

* * *

After a... _satisfactory_ dinner, me and my whole party continue our exploration around [The Archive], skimming through various texts and notes (me mostly, forgot that the twins are illiterate), and hunting for useful items.

So far, my prior knowledge of this world have been _expanded_.

For example, I've already known that there were Filolial variants via color of their plumage, but now I know that each color seems to correlate different behaviors.

The [Red Filolial], in particular, caught my attention.

"... A complete _tsundere_ if I've ever seen one." I remarked. "At least they're not as bad as the [Black Filolials]."

Seriously, I really didn't need to know that they were known to _kill_ their owners if they weren't fed enough, let alone the fact that they need to eat_ twice_ as much as a regular Filolial.

I look at the [Clock] on my HUD, currently reading 9:48 PM.

"... Wanna call it a night, Grimm?" I spoke to the [Enigmatic Tome].

**"You want me to absorb all of the knowledge while you're out?"** He asked.

"Appreciated, but no." I replied. "Last thing I need first thing in the morning is another info-dump."

**"Fair enough."** Grimm replied. **"See you tomorrow."**

The tome then closes itself as it wraps its chains around my arm.

I then head towards where the rest my party was at, seeing them sleeping on hammocks.

I then take a whiff of my own breath... and it smells like it came out of my ass.

"Umm... Mr. Butler?" I called out.

"To what pleasure may I owe you this evening?" The albino butler asked.

"Does this place have any form of oral hygiene?" I asked.

"This way, then." He then grabs me by my wrist and guides me towards elsewhere.

"Here we are."

... All I saw were piles of literal rock salt reaching the ceiling.

"Baking soda can be dispensed from there, Mr. Nan." The butler gestured towards a machine that looked like a meat grinder.

"... Beggars can't be choosers." I grumbled out.

"Then here you go." The homunculus butler hands me a hammer and chisel.

I chip off a block of raw rock salt and toss that sucker into the machine.

The machine then disperses a small pile of baking soda, which I would make a cocaine joke about it, but hey, _priorities_.

I then dab my finger into the white pile and begins rubbing the finger into my teeth like a madman.

**One brushing teeth later...**

"Heading to bed!" I called out after finishing rinsing.

"See you next morrow, good sir." The butler then heads out the door from the hammock room.

"Oh and don't worry!" I called out from the door. "I'll give you a really cool name soon! Just give me some time to think it over!"

"Understood."

With that said, I set myself on the suspended netting and head to sleep.

... I get the distinct feeling that I might fall onto the hard flooring when I wake up, but I'll deal with that when I get to it.

**Switching POV, nee-Darnic:**

The butler, being a [Homunculus], doesn't require food or rest in order to function.

In fact, he's been dusting the [Archive] since the previous [Tome Hero]'s untimely passing.

Upon finishing washing the plates, cleaning the floors, and locking all the doors, the butler heads towards the nexus.

The butler types the password into the counsel and begins to browse over the files.

He then clicks on the file labeled [The Lost Heroes].

**[The Lost Heroes]**

**During my research for the [Four Cardinal Heroes] and the [Seven Star Heroes], I've come across a rather... peculiar finding.**

**A faded tablet, as shown here, depicts a [Dagger], [Musket], [Staff], [Mace], and weirdly enough, a [Tome].**

**Coincidence?**

**Normally, I would consider it, but considering the kind of world that I've ended up in, I can no longer vouch for it.**

**Anywho, this confirms that I'm not the only one that's an oddity.**

**Something, or someone, must've tried to get rid of these records for a reason, and henceforth, me.**

**For now, I shall label these findings as [The Lost Heroes].**

**And eventually, I shall find them, and with them, I-eventually-we, will make this world right.**

**If I don't, well, then call me crazy, but not really considering what I've said previously, but I hope someone is hearing this and they take my words into heart.**

**This is the [Tome Hero], signing off.**

"Hmm..." The butler pondered. "The [Lost Heroes]... Should I tell the current [Tome Hero] about this?"

The Butler looks at the recording the nexus was projecting.

"Master..." He spoke to the projected face of the [Tome Hero] while slinging his jacket over his shoulders.

"... What should I do?"

**Switching POV, back to 1st-Person:**

I slowly open my eyes, with the first thing that I look at being my [Clock].

"... 6:29 AM?" I yawned out while scrambling out of my hammock.

And by that, I mean I fell onto my side.

"Ugh..." I groaned out while stumbling towards the salt dispenser to get my daily oral hygiene.

Behind me, two more sounds of tumbling were heard behind me.

"Mornin'." I called out.

The two demi-humans come out of the bedroom, rubbing their eyes and yawning.

"Hey Nan..." Garou yawned out. "Where you goin'?

"Brushing my teeth." I remarked. "By the way, you two, come with me."

The two then follow me with out question.

"Alright." I said while putting a block of salt into the dispenser. "Now this is how you clean your teeth."

I then do the same thing that I did last night in front of the two.

"Now..." I then rinse out my teeth of the salty taste in my mouth. "Your turn."

"But why?" Garou asked.

"Because if you don't, your teeth will turn black and fall off the gums, and said gums will rot and start bleeding."

... Okay. I've might've exaggerated a few details, but the fact that they're buying it (as evident by them covering their mouths in fear), I'd say that its a job well done.

"W-We don't want that!" Fubuki yipped out as her tail shot straight up.

Garou nods in agreement still coverings his mouth with his hands.

"Then shut up and get to it." I responded. "I'll help along the way."

Surprisingly, I didn't lose any fingers. Good on me.

"Remember, twice a day." I speak out. "Preferably around before breakfast and after dinner."

Speaking of which, I hear the sounds of eggs crackling all the way from the kitchen.

"You two go ahead." I stated.

I then slowly walk behind them, contemplating the loss of my thumb.

"I need to finish the fetch quest by today..." I mumbled out, thinking that I can't take it anymore.

With that in mind, I head towards the direction where the eggs were coming from.

**One Breakfast Later...**

"Killer job, Mr. Butler." I complemented the butler's bacon & tomato scrambled eggs.

"Much obliged." The butler responded while carrying the plates away from the table.

I watched the two demi-humans eat their third helping of the eggs, and they don't seem to be notice that they're eating tomatoes.

... For now, at least.

Bodily functions tend to be hidden withing the subconscious much to the living's dismay-

I then turn my head to see Garou and Fubuki vomiting on the kitchen floor.

... Yep, they can only eat protein.

"Mr. Butler!" I cried out while getting up from my chair and heading towards the two.

The butler then shows up with three buckets and a mop.

"Okay..." I stated. "... Maybe restrict the two to a pure-protein diet."

The butler nods while handing the two the buckets.

"Well..." I sighed out. "Can't get any worse-"

The fox-girl then faints on my shoulder, with her head hot as a furnace.

"Oh shit! Fubuki!" I then pick her up...

... With blood dripping between her legs.

"... Well at least it ain't malaria." I muttered out while taking note that Fubuki is technically a six-year-old with a body of an young adult.

Of course the physical/chronological dissonance was going to fuck up brain and its system.

How the hell did I not notice that in the first place!? Fuck!

A first period aside, two things are pivotal issues right now.

One, I'm down a party member, both if Garou's sibling instincts kick in.

And considering that those two are so closely-attached towards each other that it would make Siamese Twins look like they were in separate rooms, its guaranteed.

Also the fact they're twins.

Two, I never dealt with a period before, and no, reading medical texts and manga does _not_ count.

I have a younger brother back home, and last time I checked, my family consists of a 3/4 male ratio, so_ tough shit_.

Worst case scenario?

"I'm gonna have to go solo..." I realized.

The butler then carries the two out of the dining hall, finished cleaning up the bile.

With a sigh, I then steel myself for my potential solo run in my very first fetch quest.

... All for a friggin prosthetic.

"Well Grimm..." I stated. "Guess its back to a party of two like day 1 for today, eh?"

The tome then uncoils my arm and faces me.

**"Yeah..."** He replied. **"Hope she's okay..."**

"She will." I replied. "Trust me, we raised them both, remember?"

The tome nods.

"Alright then..." I then head towards the butler walking back. "Mr. Butler?"

"How may I have you?" He asked.

"Get my gear." I stated. "For today, me and Grimm are going hunting."

"Understood." He then heads towards one of the many rooms, and comes back out with freshly-cleaned [Equipment].

"Thanks." I stated while putting my gear over the white clothes that the [Archive] provided.

"Oh and before you go..."

He then takes off his glove and places his bare hand onto Grimm's eye.

"[Perfected Homunculus] added to [Summon]." My HUD messaged.

"It's dangerous to go alone, so please take it with you." He stated.

"Awesome." I stated. "Now how do I get out of here? Need to be where the materials are at."

"This way." He then guides me towards the central nexus.

I then see a circular slot at the center of the main counsel's control.

"Connecting the two and two together..."

I then place the [Portable Dragon's Hourglass] on it, with the sand glowing in a translucent hue of sky-blue before my HUD sends me an update.

"[Intersection-Melromarc] and [Archive] added to [Teleport-Beacon]." The message read.

"I figure you know the rest?" The butler stated.

"Give me a shopping list and a [Map]." I requested. "Need something to go on with."

"Then please, place the [Enigmatic Tome] here." He stated pointing towards the main control.

The point of light then shines onto Grimm's eye.

"[Map] Skill, added." My HUD stated.

"Sorry bout that, Grimm." I stated.

**"Eh, could've been worse."** He replied.

"Okay then..." I sighed out. "... How do I use teleport-"

I then press onto the mini-hourglass, with a *click* sound heard from it.

On my HUD, a list shows up, showing me all the [Teleport-Beacon] locations.

"[Intersection], right?" I asked out loud.

"Precisely." The butler stated. "Head West towards the [Jade Forest], and you'll find what you need there."

"Difficulty? I asked.

"Levels 10-14 average." He answered. "And considering your current level..."

He then looks at me with a blank expression.

"... Please do not level the entire forest." He stated. "The local ecosystem has a rather... _fragile_ balance maintaining the fauna and flora."

"Understood." I stated while acknowledging [Intersection]. "See you in a bit."

"Safe trip and happy hunting."

Me and Grimm [Teleport].

Next stop, [Intersection-Melromarc]...

**One [Teleport] later...**

I land hard on the dirt, with my ass taking the most beating.

"Ow ow ow..." I grunted, "Of course there's no such thing as soft landings here..."

**"Nah."** Grimm voiced out. **"It's just that you have the reflexes that of a limp dog."** He snarked out.

"Oh piss off." I grunted out as I slowly stood back up. "... Bloody hell, why did I thought that this was going to be a cakewalk?"

Mainly due to the fact that I just saw _Itsuki's_ ugly mug through the thicket.

How do I know?

Well it's not the fact that I saw the [Bow Hero] himself, but rather the 250lb-pile of metal that's always next to the guy like a fucking _remora_.

"Fucking _Mald_..."

... I'll kill him at my leisure.

Until then, I then head West, which, much to my dismay, was also the _same_ direction that Itsuki was heading.

I then spot one of my [Bird Eye]s, which then signals me Itsuki's stat sheet as it perches on my shoulder.

**Name: [Itsuki Kawasami]**

**Class: [Bow Hero]**

**Level: 16**

**Affinities****: [Earth]**

**Alignment****: Lawful Neutral**

**Equipment: [Legendary Bow], [Ranger's Tunic], [Hunter's Medallion]**

**Attack: 15 (+10)**

**Defense: 11 (+5)**

**Agility: 19 (+10)**

**Luck: 20 (+5)**

**HP: 160 (+10)**

**MP: 200(+10)**

"Good bird."

I'll take that he and his party are heading to the [Jade Forest] to level-grind.

I'll avoid contact, out of the _kindness_ of my heart.

Shame if _something_ happened if I _didn't_.

I then spot them head Southwest, so I head Northwest to start my fetch quest.

"So..." I then take out my shopping list. "2 [Iron Ore], 2 [Spider Silk], and 1 [Intermediate Magic Ore]..."

I'm stocked to the brim with [Iron Ore], so I can check that off of my list, so that leaves...

"... Spiders." I shudder.

**"Ya afraid of them?"** Grimm asked.

"If they are each the size of a five-year-old, then yes." I bluntly respond.

Darkest Dungeon, do not fuck me over now. I remember losing a Highwayman to a [Spitter], and last time I've checked, I do not need to be in Dismas's boots.

Sure, level 10-14 average my ass. Like I said before, levels and stats matter not when your veins are on fire.

Worst of all, I don't have any ways to repel status aliments. But its too late for that.

"There's one." I then see a spider big as a dining table devouring a_ human body_.

"Poor bastard..." I then [Analyze] the big-ass spider.

**Name: [Blood Spider]**

**Class: [Common Encounter]**

**Level: 13**

**Affinities****: [Fire]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Neutral**

**Item Drops: [Spider Silk x2] (70%)**

**Attack: 13**

**Defense: 9**

**Agility: 14**

**Luck: 2**

**HP: 130**

**MP: 30**

"... You know, I can kinda see why the corpse looks... a little _shriveled_ up." I remarked as I've realized that the fucker is a _hematophage_.

Real-life spiders tend to stuff your insides with their venom so that they can liquidate it before sucking the prey up like a dude-smoothie.

**"Aim for the head, then."** Grimm stated. **"If you don't want to attract a swarm or get close to it, then bring it towards you."**

"Good call." I then ready Grimm. "Ya ready?"

I then hear him clash his teeth together.

"Alright." I then begin to swing the [Enigmatic Tome] over my head in a circle.

"Here we go!"

I let loose Grimm towards the [Blood Spider].

"[Bite]!"

Grimm then chomps onto the spider's head, trapping it in a vice-grip between it teeth.

I then quickly drag it back towards where I was standing, and to deliver the coup de grâce.

*SPLAT*

I then see blood splattered all over my left leg upon my right foot stamping Grimm's metal cover.

**"... Really man?"** He mumbled out beneath by foot.

"Sorry." I apologized. "Happened at the heat of the moment."

**"Then cool your friggin' stove man."** He stated while devouring the fallen [Blood Spider].

"[Spider Silk x2] added." My HUD messaged.

And that just leaves with [Intermediate Magic Ore].

"_Vaminos_!" I hoot out as we head deeper into the thickets, while avoiding Itsuki's 6-man party along the way.

The party then heads into a clearing, where they run into a herd of slime-like monsters.

"[Analyze]."

**Name: [Green Slime]**

**Class: [Common Encounter]**

**Level: 10**

**Affinities****: [Earth]**

**Alignment****: True Neutral**

**Item Drops: [Intermediate Magic Ore] (10%), [Adhesive Resin] (90%)**

**Attack: 13**

**Defense: 5**

**Agility: 19**

**Luck: 0**

**HP: 150**

**MP: 10**

Normally, I wouldn't feel bad for those buggers getting popped like water balloons, but back home, I've watched all of _Reincarnated as a Slime_.

Now, I'm just feeling bad for them, doubly so when Mald begins to slaughter them in herds with his [Steel Halberd].

**... Later.**

Then amidst the slime, dust, and carnage, I then spot something glimmering within it.

... An [Intermediate Magic Ore].

"Grimm." I whispered out. "You think you can make it?"

**"While keeping up our cover?"** He replied. **"Fat chance."**

With a slight grumble, I then switch my [Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained] title to [Wayward Hero] title.

"Grimm, one last thing."

**"Yeah?"** He asked.

I sigh out once more.

"Remind me _not_ to kill them."

I then stretch out my right, four-fingered, hand.

**"... [Dritte-Fireball]."**

A massive blast of fire shoots out of my hand, causing the _entire clearing_ to be set ablaze.

Now's our chance.

"RUN!" I then dash towards the kicked-up dust cloud, making a mad dash towards the [Intermediate Magic Ore].

**"GOT ONE!"** Grimm spoke out.

"[Intermediate Magic Ore x3] added." My HUD messaged.

"[Air Strike Shot]!"

... Bugger.

The dust cloud clears up, revealing the [Bow Hero] in all of his glory.

With our eyes connecting towards each other.

Lovely.

... I'm being _sarcastic_, as you can tell.

**Itsuki**

**With great power comes with great (ir)****responsibility**

No shit, Sherlock.

"So!" I yelled out while trying to keep face. "How may I help you sorry lot today!?"

"SILENCE, YOU CUR!" The armored bastard roared out from the back.

**Mald**

**Just here for blood and fun**

"WE KNOW WHAT YOU DID!" He continued on. "YOU'VE KILLED MY BROTHER BACK AT HIS FIRST DEPLOYMENT AT THE MAGIC SHOP!"

That explains the _slight_ resemblance ("You jagoffs all look the same, so bite me.).

"Hold on..." I stall out. "... Mass-murder is _actually_ a crime?" I stated in an _overly-sarcastic and hammy-evil_ tone.

"You honestly think this is the time for jokes!?" Itsuki growled out.

He then winds back his bowstring with an arrow nocked on it.

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE A HERO!" Itsuki stated in an indignant tone. "INSTEAD, YOU'RE NOTHING MORE THEN A SCUM LIKE NAOFUMI!"

... Okay, crossed a line there, brah.

"[Freeze Arrow]!"His arrow then fires out a cold-infused arrowhead.

**"[Full Coating]."**

The rainbow-colored veil then deflects the elemental arrow back at him, encasing the poor, misguided fuck in an icicle.

"... Whoa, that was a close one."

I'm not referring to the fact that I've almost got shot, but rather the fact that I _didn't_ kill Itsuki in _one go_.

Seeing their hero encased in ice, the other five then try to make their counteroffensive.

"[Heavy Swing]!" The armored fuck then swings down his polearm towards me.

**"[Nil Coating]."**

The strike then rebounds off of my _monochrome_ veil, sending the bastard flying back towards the icicle, breaking through and freeing Itsuki.

"... That was _another_ close call." I winced upon seeing that Itsuki's health bar just hitting a single number below _10_.

The others then resume their offense.

"[Zweit-Thunderbolt]!"

"[Zweit-Fireball]!"

"[Zweit-Wind Blast]!"

"[Zweit-Aqua Cannon]!"

... _Nothing_ came of it, much to their shock.

Thank you, [Anti-Zweit]. Now it's _my_ turn to be a badass.

"... My turn." I then open Grimm's pages.

Time to try it out, shall we?

"[Summon]..."

"Wait, [Summon]?" I heard Itsuki's voice.

"... [Perfected Homunculus]."

A magic circle appears right in front of me. And out of it came out an albino humanoid looking like a perfect carbon-copy of the butler back at the [Archive].

**"Master, your orders."**

I sigh out in exasperation.

"Try _not_ to kill them." I ordered.

The [Perfected Homunculus] then shapeshifts into an _albino-__me_.

**"Understood."**

The _albino-me_ then speeds towards the [Bow Hero]'s party.

**"[Shocktouch]."**

"And that's my cue to leave." I stated over the agonized screams of those poor bastards being grilled from the _inside_.

The [Perfected Homunculus] then returns to my side after a few seconds of neutralization.

"I take it that they're still alive?" I asked.

**"All of their brainwaves are still present, although two of their hearts appeared to be stopped."**

... Didn't need to know that.

_**+50,000 EXP**_

"Okay, that is just bull." I then click the hourglass and GTFO of the [Jade Forest].

**Switching POV, Itsuki:**

His body felt hot and cold at the same time, as if an entire _sun_ was dropped onto him while he was laid nude on the _polar ice caps_.

Around him, his entire party, while miraculously alive, were still badly hurt and traumatized.

_"Nan's no criminal..."_ Itsuki thought.

He then recalls a _certain albino_ back in his school years who had the ability to rebound _anything_ that came towards him.

The two then begin to blend together into _one being_.

_"... He's a fucking **monster**."_

**Switching POV, 1st Person:**

"We're home!" I called out. "And only a single clearing of the [Jade Forest] got glassed/nuked!"

"Do you have the materials?" The butler asked.

Grimm then spits the raw materials down onto the floor.

"... Appreciated, but I just mopped the floors while you were gone." The butler spoke out while pinching the bridge of his nose.

**"Sorry."** Grimm spoke out.

"Regardless..." The butler stated while picking up the materials off the floor. "... The prosthetic shall be done by this evening."

"Thanks." I spoke out.

With that said, I then head to where Garou and Fubuki were.

"How is she?" I asked Garou.

"Fever's stopped." He responded. "Also, she's stopped bleeding."

The fox-girl was sleeping soundly, with the signs of the struggle, now long-past.

"You wanna keep watching your sister, or do you want to explore this place around for a bit more?" I asked.

"I'll stay." He responded.

"I'll tell you when lunch starts, alright?"

With that, I then continue where I left off last night.

"The damn chest..." I looked down at the metal crate fallen from the bookshelf.

I try to force the lid to open, but no dice.

... At least on the physical part.

"Oi..." I spoke out. "... Is that a keyhole?"

**"When there's a keyhole..."**

"There's always a key..."

The two of us then _scramble_.

"Key, key, key..." I muttered out as I looked through every nook and cranny. "Just where the hell is it?"

**"Hey!"** Grimm called out. **"I think I found something!"**

He then brings me a massive ring of keys hooked around his teeth.

And my massive, I meant...

"... I get a feeling that that isn't the only chest around here."

"[Key Ring] added to [Key Items]." My HUD messaged.

Seriously, I think my brain stopped counting after _100_. And that's not counting the rest that are wrapped around his metallic _hula hoop_.

On the plus side, at least I got until dinner.

About 9 days reaching worst-case-scenario.

**"Just stop pondering and get to it."** Grimm stated.

Luck 23, do not fail me now...

At around 10:39 AM, I begin my obligatory puzzle-solving.

"This is just a keyhole, how hard can it be-"

**[I immediately regret what I just said.]**

**8 hours and roughly 1,073 keys later...**

"Okay..." I heaved out from exhaustion and malnutrition. "Last... one..."

*click*

"..."

My thoughts were completely blank.

... For a second, I thought that I was going to cry out blood from my eyelids after I was done_ sweating_ out a quarter pint of _blood_.

**"FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!"**

I turn the key, and bust the motherfucker open.

"IT BETTER BE GOOD!"

The boxes contents were... odd.

Not disappointing, nor surprising, but just... _odd_.

**"... Oi."** Grimm spoke out. **"What the fuck is that thing?"**

"... An MP3 player." I droned out, completely burnt out from my own anger upon my own stupidity.

I swear, if was holding the [Wrath Shield #3] right now, I would've probably set the whole [Archive] on fire in a heartbeat.

"Okay..." I sighed out. "What the fuck does this do?"

I then feel something rustling underneath the MP3 player.

"... It's another note, isn't it?"

I then flip the player around and find a note taped onto it.

Where the hell's the guy getting all the tapes?

**Try putting this into the [Enigmatic Tome]!**

**P.S., I hope you like Black Sabbath, Ozzy ****Osborne, and whatever shit that came before the year 2006. And yes, that includes Smash Mouth.**

**Also, fuck Justin Bieber.**

... Omigod. My predecessor came around before mainstream rap was a thing.

"So the note says to put this into ya..."

I then place the MP3 on Grimm's cover.

"[Playlist: Adrenaline Rush], added."

... Did I just unwittingly install an OST list into my own brain?

"... Awesome as that sounds, I get the feeling that I'm only going to use this sparingly-"

"Now playing [Thunderstruck] by ACDC."

_Ques que_ fuck?

Then said music comes blaring out of Grimm's pages like an amplifier at a _death metal concert_.

"AAHHH! AGGH!"

"NAN!" Fubuki screamed over the music with her ears shut. "TURN IT OFF!"

I then see a "pause" button on my HUD and press it.

"... Okay." Fubuki heaved out. "... I'll be at the showers."

I then give her a thumbs-up before looking back at the chest.

"So to paraphrase, I've literally wasted the last _8 hours_ for a goddamn playlist." I bit out.

**"You mad, brah?"** Grimm voiced out.

**"Very."**

I then _punt_ the silver trunk away from me.

... Only to_ forget_ that shit was heavy enough to give me a concussion, which then ends up me _rebreaking_ my freshly-regrown toenails upon impact.

I thrash around and trip over the chest amidst my hopping.

"... Fuck." I bit out in pain.

**"Oi..."** Grimm called out.

"... What?"

I then turn to see that the chest spilled out a few leaves of papers.

... 10 bucks says that they're [Scrolls].

I then scramble towards the spill and pick out one leaf.

**Ingredients to make an [Effigy]**

"... [Effigy]?" I spoke out right before I read it.

**[Human Flesh x20]**

**[Advanced Magic Ore x1]**

**[Crafting Clay x50]**

"... Okay." I said. "Just what the hell does an [Effigy] do?"

**"Check the other papers then."** Grimm suggested.

I then take all of the papers and saw numbers on their upper-right-hand corners.

Page numbers.

I then put them in order and begin reading them.

**[Day 1]**

**I've managed to acquire information regarding this scroll that I've found in the [Archive]'s basements.**

**Rumors allegedly state that the [Effigy] are part of the [Cursed Items] that have the ability to control life itself.**

**The indigenous tribesmen informed me that the sample item is hidden away in the temple roughly 15 miles Southwest.**

**I just hope that the fauna or the flora don't end up killing me, because on my way, I saw a few bodies lying around.**

"... I smell Amazon." I pointed out.

**"Keep reading." **

**[Day 2]**

**Almost died back there.**

**Sample [Effigy] remains intact, all four limbs are present, and only got bitten once.**

**Don't know what bit me, but really didn't have the time to even consider.**

**Planning to return to the [Archive] as soon as possible.**

**[Day 3]**

**I've successful translated the scroll that I had with me.**

**[Effigy]s are items that can copy and store a person's life force via as a stand-in.**

**I theorize that they work like voodoo dolls, but later.**

**I'm feeling a little woozy.**

"Death flag." I pointed out.

The tome nods.

**[Day 4]**

**At last, I've finally figured out what the [Effigy] is made of.**

**[Human Flesh], [Advanced Magic Ore], and [Crafting Clay].**

**The latter two, I can easily find them at a general store in any town or kingdom (Note: [Advanced Magic Ore] does not come for cheap; about 10,000 gold each)**

**Former?**

**... I regret not letting them die in my hands.**

**[Day 5]**

**So far-**

All that existed afterwards was a streak of black with a dot of _red_ at the end of the vector.

"... That was how the previous [Tome Hero] met his end..." I realized.

**"He was too much of a workaholic to even treat his own bite..."** Grimm stated. **"You know that whole poison-immunity shtick that you been yipping of for the past week?"**

"Yeah. I got my work cut out for me..." I grimly stated.

Better start with the following three;

**A) Get this world's equivalent of Esuna**

**B) Start learning how to brew my own [Health Potions] and [Mana Potions]**

**C) Get Naofumi's good graces and subscribe to his wares**

It would be most ideal if I managed to check all three.

"Well, at least I learned what's what." I stated.

"Agreed." Grimm stated. "And by the way, dinner just started."

"... Aw crapbaskets."

I then dash towards the dining room, where I smell steak and _way_ too much meat.

The two demi-humans were inhaling their food, I had a few servings before the whole table was clean.

Next time I take them out for level-grinding, its gonna be a _kill & grill_ spree.

**And so, for the next 8 days, Nan's whole party goes out to cap their levels/go on the world's most badass kill & grill tour.**

**And like badasses, they will eat it all raw.**

**[Day 1]**

"HOLY SHIT, RUN!"

Me and my party run like hell upon seeing an _actual_ [Manticore] coming after our asses.

It swung its stinger tail at us, slinging its kitchen-knife-sized quills at us.

A few hit the tree that was next to me, lodging it in like an axe to timber.

"NAN!"

I then turn my head so see Fubuki tripped over.

"HANG ON, I'M COMING!"

_... Bad move._

A quill goes through my right eye, nearly missing my brain and spine, and coming out behind my right ear.

... You know, the first time I lost a limb, it hurt like hell.

Now?

**Too _angry_ to feel anything.**

Only thing I remember doing?

Stabbing through the [Manticore]'s throat with its own quill and my brand-new prosthetic thumb-_switchblade_ and adding it to my [Summon] upon being too wounded to even move.

I then try to eat my lost eyeball like _Xiahou Dun _did, but I stopped myself upon realizing that the quill was _poisoned_.

"... Grimm, why am I_ not_ dying?" I asked while standing like an idiot high on pot.

**"Dunno, and don't question it."**

No spinal fluid, let alone, _blood_, was lost.

"Thank you, luck 23..."

**[Day 2]**

Upon my _miraculous_ survival against a _level 39_ [Manticore] (didn't know until now; also whole party leveled up like crazy/3 levels), me and my party head on our way through the mountain borders that is soon to be burnt down after the second wave (you know which one), with Fubuki apologizing along the way.

"Hey." I spoke to the quivering fox-girl. "You can feel guilty after I croak."

Never in my life, that I thought that I had to wear an _eyepatch_.

Garou then jabs me _hard_ in the shoulder.

"... I deserved that." I stated.

Garou huffs in response.

**"Look alive, kiddies."** Grimm spoke out.

Beyond the stony hills, my whole party sees an entire village of [Trolls].

"Wait..." I said. "If this is a village fringes, then...!"

I quickly turn around and see a hatchet-wielding [Troll] upon me, and kick it away by digging me heel into its chest area where the valves to its lungs are connected.

"[Bird Eyes], start scanning _everything_."

The birds in the nearby forest then begin to fly overhead of the village, [Auto-Scanning] everything and relaying me the info.

"[Troll Berserker], [Troll Defender], [Troll Shaman], and [Troll Chieftain]." I listed. "Hopefully, they haven't spotted us-"

I then hear a horn blowing _above_ our heads.

... Crap, I forgot that _all_ villages had watchtowers to watch for potential intruders.

"You were saying?" Garou then raised his fists.

Me and the rest of the party get ready.

"I just hope the [Trolls] are edible..."

**[Day 3]**

Nope, [Trolls] tasted like old leather that got shat on by seagulls.

On the plus side, raiding their village did get us all four [Troll Variants] added to my [Summon] list ([Troll Chieftain] was around level 36, almost got TPKed from its signature move, [Rampage]), Fubuki's gotten a new [Mana Medallion] from a level 31 [Troll Shaman] that she killed all on her own, and Garou's gotten himself a [Primal Claws] as his new fisticuffs weapon from a level 34 [Troll Berserker].

... What a friggin' day.

Then on our way back to Melromarc (much to my dismay, but need to pick up Garou's custom orders), we run into a group of bandits.

"Heh heh heh..." The typical bandit jargon. "Hand over those two and the rest of your shit and we won't harm ya-"

**"[Summon-Manticore]."**

The human-faced lion with a red stinger tail appears our of Grimm's pages, right before it roars before the level 19-average [Bandit Horde].

Over a half of them either faint or piss themselves in sheer horror.

"[Threatening Roar] Skill learned." My HUD messaged.

Let's try that out.

"You two, cover your ears."

The two then press their animal ears on their heads.

I then suck in a breath of air.

**"[Threatening Roar]!"**

A _lion-like_ roar echoes throughout the whole forest as it resonates out from my very _own_ tongue.

Best of all, I think the plaque between my teeth are now all gone. Oh and the fact that now all of then bandits are all now dead on their feet, provided if they _haven't_ killed themselves out of sheer terror.

Back to looting. Need some gold to tip the smith with, after all.

**[Day 4]**

"[Summon-Troll Chieftain]!"

A massive green-skinned, brutish, tattooed, hulking humanoid wielding a massive warhammer fashioned from a massive, eagle-like skull, a tower shield fashioned from a whole ribcage and a mammoth's skull comes out from Grimm's pages.

**"To what may I owe you today, my new master?"** The [Troll Chieftain] speaks out in a surprisingly _suave_ and _smooth_ voice (Kyle Herbert as Fredrick from FE Awakening).

"Holy shit!" I yipe out. "You can talk!?"

**"Dude."** Grimm stated. **"You didn't know that you can communicate with your [Summons]?"**

I facepalm upon not realizing it in the first place, and foolish to assume that only [Perfected Homunculus] could talk _only_ because of its programming.

"... Alright, everyone, out."

I then summon my _entire roster_ from my [Summon] list.

You know, I would feel like a _100lb slab of concrete_ was tied on top of my head upon using_ that much_ mana, but surprisingly, I feel _fine_.

"Guess mana costs only apply to _temporary summons_..." I mutter to myself right before facing my extended party/family.

[Garou], [Fubuki], [Grimm] ([Party] members), [Metal Balloons], [Bird Eyes], [Purple Balloons], [Failed Homunculus Types A-C], [Perfected Homunculus], [Manticore], [Troll Berserker], [Troll Defender], [Troll Shaman], and [Troll Chieftain] (my [Summons]) sit around me, as if I'm their new _tribe boss_.

"So..." I start out awkwardly. "... Sorry for not talking to y'all sooner."

The [Metal Balloons] hop up and down, as they were trying to lift my spirits.

**"... Human master... sorry if I took... eye."** The [Manticore] apologized.

"Nah, it's alright." I stated. "At least I now have room for improvement."

There _better_ be an magical prosthetic eye, or I'm burning down a village.

"So..." I continued on with the social grace of a _withdrawn alcoholic_. "... What now?"

My party and [Summons] all exchange blank looks to each other.

"... Keep level-grinding?" I suggested/broke the silence.

The whole group in front of me nods in agreement.

"... And while at it." I continued. "... Methinks that adding more [Encounters] to the [Summon] list might do us all a huge favor."

I then extend my finger-gun and cast [Dritte-Fireball] towards the [Shadow] that was about to take a potshot at me.

_**+2,000 EXP**_

"Yeah, this is getting lame." I mutter out. "Alright y'all."

I then jump down from the rock that I was standing on.

**"Leave none of them alive."**

Garou then brandishes his brand-new [Katars] with the [Primal Claws] as extensions and heads towards the nearest downed [Shadow] that he can find.

... I'm surprised that after all this crap, the whole forest around us didn't get burnt to cinders.

Only _half_ of it was smoldering black.

"... Best kill & grill ever." I smiled as the king's personal [Shadows] were being hunted down by my [Summons] like the dogs that they are.

As you can see, this is actually my very_ first_ kill & grill.

Before I got whisked away into this hellhole? I'm a fucking _Cali_.

**[Day 5]**

"... Well this place looks awfully familiar."

I swear, it's the exact village where Motoyasu's little "heroism" essentially turns this place into _Poison Ivy's_ backyard.

"... I might want to place a [Beacon] here."

I then set down my [Portable Dragon's Hourglass], and a magic circle is formed right underneath it.

"[Southwest Village], added to [Teleport]." My HUD messaged.

"Umm, pardon..."

I then look behind me and see an elderly man on a walking cane approach me.

"Oh, excuse me."

I then make way for the old man.

"Pray tell, what brings you and your companions here to our village?" He asked.

"Nothing." I replied. "Just a vagabond and company."

"Oh, a wanderer." He stated. "Well, perhaps we can offer you something for your travels?"

"Three goatskins of drinking water." I requested.

"Well, this way then." The elder said. "We don't have much to eat, but water is in surplus."

... Oh right, _famine_.

Me and my party head into the gates to get our supplies.

"Hang in there, ya hear?" I said to them.

"Take care now."

Poor bastards...

... I'll do what I can later. But for now, I got a_ smear campaign_ to plan.

**[Day 6]**

"Oh dear." I speak out.

"Nan, what is it?" Fubuki asked.

"Look down."

Beneath our feet was a massive, three-pronged footprint, that is ripped straight from _Jurassic Park_.

"... Goddammit."

"[Dragon Village] added to [Teleport]." My HUD announced.

"Okay, new plan." I stated. "50 [Bird Eyes] head to [Southwest Village] and scout out the whole damn place and holler if the [Spear Hero] comes by with a seed-like item, alright?"

The 50 then fly out of Grimm's pages and fly Southwest.

"As for another 50..." I continued on. "Stay here and watch over [Gaelion]. If the [Sword Hero] comes by with the intent to murder the damn dragon, then holler, I'll be there."

The other 50 then fly towards where the dragon's nest was, unable to be detected without being spotted (because dodgetanks are the best kind of tanks).

"The only one who going to lay their greasy little hands on _them_, is me." I muttered as I went elsewhere.

I'll come for_ her_, _later_.

Until then?

I got bigger fish to fry.

**[Day 7]**

"... In hindsight, this may have been a _terrible_ idea."

**"YOU THINK!?"** My three other party member cried out over the [Roc]'s ear-piercing screech directed towards _us_.

For context, this is the [Roc]'s stats.

**Name: [Roc]**

**Class: [Rare Encounter]**

**Level: 40**

**Affinities****: [Earth] & [Wind]**

**Alignment****: True Neutral**

**Item Drops: [Adamantium] (30%), [Advanced Magic Ore] (50%), [Mark of the Apex Predator] (5%)**

**Attack: 45**

**Defense: 50**

**Agility: 40**

**Luck: 0**

**HP: 500**

**MP: 150**

... By the way, the whole party is around level 38 average.

Doesn't change the fact that the overgrown feather-rat can easily swallow the four of us, whole, at the same time.

Also, can't forget to mention its beak. That shit pecked through a_ mountain peak_ to build its next.

How do I know?

Because _we're_ in _it_.

"... Sometimes, I hate myself."

**"Well it's gonna get worse if that thing start to take air-"**

The massive, B-52-sized eagle then takes air.

... Idea.

"GRIMM!" I yelled out. "GRAB ONTO IT!"

**"Welp, I can't think of anything else!"** He remarked.** "Grab on!"**

The tome then shoots out its chain and bites down onto the [Roc]'s wing.

"GOING UUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!"

... I've might've pissed myself.

Oh, and I just realized something.

The temporary [Roc] that we flew out of Melromarc?

... I think this is his _mother_ that we're currently riding on.

"Well, at least her chicks are fully grown and able to fly on their own." I pointed out as the big bird performs a barrel roll.

... No, not the one from Starfox (that is an _aileron roll_).

I mean an _actual_ barrel roll.

I was both no longer disregarding two things.

One, my urges to _not_ scream like a little bitch.

And two, my urge to hurl out my lunch.

... Thankfully, it didn't hit my face. Doesn't change the fact that I'm clinging onto her back for my dear life.

"Fuck it." I then cast a learned Skill.

"From the [Manticore]..."

A sharp black rod forms into my hand.

I then search for a gap in its rocky skin covered by her mattress-sized feathers.

"Got one!"

I then plunge the [Poison Stinger] into the gap.

I'm still surprised that I even survived getting shot by that thorough the eye.

"... Hopefully this time, my luck holds out."

I then hear and feel, a massive *THUD*.

**"... By the way, it crashed on another mountain."** Grimm stated. **"[Negotiate], or we all die from falling 3,000 from the air."**

"ON IT!" I then activate [Negotiate] like my life depended on it.

**[You there...]**

... Hello Cetrion/Mary Elizabeth McGlynn.

**[Just what is your quarrel with an old hag like me?]**

"I want you to join my party." I stated firmly.

**[And what is your reason to do so, little one?]**

"I need allies." I replied. "I need allies in order to fight the [Wave] and the whole world that is against me."

**[Pah, the [Wave] is the least of my concerns.]**

**[Also, allies?]**

**[More like pawns, if you ask me.]**

"... You're right." I replied.

**[Bah, typical mortal-**

"But that's why I want to prove you wrong." I cut in.

**[... That's... unexpected.]**

**[You... out of all people, wish to prove me wrong?]**

The [Roc] then howls out in laughter as it continues to plummet through the forest below.

**"Umm... you might want to hurry up."** Grimm stated. **"I see a village down there, and people are running from us!"**

I then turn back to the [Roc].

**"Then hear me!"** I cried out. **"I WILL PROVE YOU WRONG! I WILL MAKE THIS WORLD REMEMBER YOU AS A PLATINUM-TIER BADASS AND NOT AS SOME WASHED-UP OLD HAG AS YOU CLAIM TO BE! AND ABOVE ALL ELSE!"**

I then drive my fist into her stab wound, catching her attention.

**"I WILL NOT ACCEPT YOU AS A MERE PAWN! I WILL ACCEPT YOU AS A PIVOTAL PART OF THE HISTORY THAT I SHALL WRITE ONTO THIS FILTHY AND IGNORANT WORLD!"** I roared out from the bottom of my heart. **"SO HELP ME GOD! IF YOU DON'T JOIN ME, THEN I WILL TAKE IT UPON MYSELF THAT YOU DO! EVEN IF IT MEANS THAT I HAVE TO DESTROY THAT NAMELESS VILLAGE DOWN BELOW IF IT MEANS THAT I GET YOU TO JOIN MY SIDE!"**

The [Roc] goes silent.

**[So you're really that desperate for help, aren't you?]**

**[... You really shouldn't have asked.]**

"[Roc] added to [Summon] list." My HUD messaged.

And that was right before I crashed facefirst into a tree, before blacking out.

**[Congrats idiot. You almost died.]**

**[You wanna go back to the world of hurt once more?]**

**[Yes]**

**[No]**

**...**

**[Yes]**

**...**

**[... Try not to die, you fucking jagoff.]**

**[Day 8]**

"...an..."

"Na...an."

"NAN!"

"Agh!" I yipped out upon waking up.

My head was throbbing, my sole left vision was blurry, and above all else, my stomach is empty.

"... How long was I out?" I asked. "And how the hell did we get back to the [Archive]?"

**"Garou did it."** Grimm said. **"I helped him out along the way."**

"Good work." I spoke to the wolf-dude. "Oh, and what time is it..."

I look at the [Portable Dragon's Hourglass] and my clock reading 9:32 AM.

**Time Remaining Before [Wave] Starts:**

**0 Days**

**2 Hours**

**28 Min****utes**

**21 Seconds**

... At least my whole party is level-capped to 40. I should thank the [Roc] for the whole party for the generous level charge.

Until then?

"EVERYONE!" I yell out while fighting through my concussion. "LET'S GO!"

I then stride my way out of the hammock room and towards the central nexus.

"Nan!" Garou speaks out. "Where are we going?"

I smiled.

**"We're going hunting."**

"Wait for a moment." The butler stated.

He then hands me a bundle of [Scrolls].

"I believe these may of be of some use." He stated.

Alright then, new plan.

"Everyone, go nuts."

The two demi-humans then go at it at the scrolls.

"Party member [Garou] learned [Shadow Dash], [Shatterstrike], [Dagger Mastery], and [Black Barrage]. Party member [Fubuki] learned [Instant-Casting], [Sleet Shield], and [Auto-Regen: Mana]." My HUD flooded me with messages.

**Skill: [Shadow Dash]**

**Rarity: [Iron]**

**Type: [Physical]**

**Deals minor physical [Dark] damage.**

**Deals major physical**** [Dark] damage if user has [Dark] affinity.**

**Skill: [Shatterstrike]**

**Rarity: [Silver]**

**Type: [Physical]**

**Deals minor physical damage.**

**Ignores target's defense stats.**

**Lowers target's defense stat by 15% if attack deals critical hit or fatal blow.**

**Skill: [Dagger Mastery]**

**Rarity: [Platinum]**

**Type: [Passive]**

**User can now use [Dagger] weapons, regardless of [Class].**

**Skill: [Black Barrage]**

**Rarity: [Silver]**

**Type: [Physical]**

**Deals minimal [Dark] damage.**

**User's attack stat will increase by 5% per hit.**

**[Instant-Casting]**

**Rarity: [Gold]**

**Type: [Passive]**

**Magical attacks will no longer require incantation to activate.**

**Skill: [Sleet Shield]**

**Rarity: [Silver]**

**Type: [Enhancement]**

**Raises party's defense stat by 40%.**

**Restores party's HP and MP by 25% if user has [Ice] affinity.**

**Skill: [Auto-Regen: Mana]**

**Rarity: [Platinum]**

**Type: [Passive]**

**Restores 2% of user's MP every 30 seconds.**

As for me...

"[Elemental Eater] and [Cleanse] Skills learned." My HUD stated.

**Skill: [Elemental Eater]**

**Rarity****: [Mythril]**

**Type: [Magical]**

**Absorbs all elemental attacks targeted to user.**

**Restores HP and MP upon absorption.**

**Raises attack and defense stats if user absorbed an elemental attack coinciding to user's affinity.**

**Skill: [Cleanse]**

**Rarity: [Silver]**

**Type: [Magical]**

**Clears all negative aliments upon target.**

Thank you! Gonna be using that like if it's going out of style.

"Also, these [Equipment] were found in the vaults." The butler stated.

"You know what that means?" I asked the demi-humans.

"You mean I can finally get rid of this clunky chainmail?" He replied.

"MORE BADASS ARMOR THIS WAY!"

We then dive into our new equipment, and come out looking fresh as hell.

"Forget what I said earlier." I stated while walking out like John Wick with my brand-new flowing indigo robes with raven-like patterns all over it, and a brass medallion and the hourglass dangling from my neck.

"So we're not hunting?" Garou replied while imitating my walking posture with some levels of success.

"Nope." I replied.

"Then what?" Fubuki asked while following her twin brother from behind.

I let brandish a really wicked grin as I teleport my way back to the path back to Melromarc.

**"We're going to war."**

"Title [Bane of Law] earned."

**[Bane of Law]**

**"Death to the law that is called 'holy'. Glory to true and free anarchy."**

**Stats double upon facing a [Lawful]-aligned [Encounter]**

**Raises stats of all [Chaotic] party members by 200%**

**Changes party's alignment to [Chaotic Evil] upon equipping title**

* * *

**To Be Continued...**

* * *

**Author's Notes: **The price of power often costs the great.

At the cost of reclaiming a finger, my SI loses an eye in the place of his own life.

But no price is too great to pay for even greater power.

More steeper prices will be presented along with even greater power.

**Fan the flames.**

**Mold the metal.**

**We raise an army.**

**\- Darkest Dungeon**

* * *

**Stat Updates: Promotion to Level Cap 40-60 & Class Up, now ****available**

* * *

**Name: [Bane of Law], [Nan Hon-Jah]**

**Class: [Tome Hero]**

**Level: 40**

**Affinities****: [All Eight Elements]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Evil**

**Equipment: [Enigmatic Tome, Grimm], [Iron Rune], [Magus Robes], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Portable Dragon's Hourglass]**

**Attack: 39 (+30)**

**Defense: 30 (+20)**

**Agility: 32 (+15)**

**Luck: 31 (-10)**

**HP: 290 (+55)**

**MP: 400 (+110)**

* * *

**Name: [Garou]**

**Class: [Slave Fighter]**

**Level: 40**

**Affinities****: [Dark]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Evil**

**Equipment****: [Assassin's Leather Armor], [Nightshroud], [Blade Gauntlets****], [Primal Claws], [Katars]**

**Attack: 42 (+50)**

**Defense: 31 (-20)**

**Agility: 30 (+65)**

**Luck: 19 (+20)**

**HP: 420 (-20)**

**MP: 150 (-100)**

* * *

**Name: [Fubuki]**

**Class: [Slave Mage]**

**Level: 40**

**Affinities****: [Ice]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Evil**

**Equipment****: [Twilight Gunstaff], [Twilight Cloak], [Twilight Hunter's Hood], [Mana Medallion]**

**Attack: 39 (+35)**

**Defense: 24 (+20)**

**Agility: 34 (+35)**

**Luck: 23 (+20)**

**HP: 270 (-80)**

**MP: 480 (+150)**

* * *

**War is coming.**

**Melromarc will burn.**

**And above all else.**

**Time to be badasses in the next Epic.**

**Until then, take care to leave a review a comment, you hear?**

**I want to know what you're all thinking.**


	9. Epic 9: The Wave Part 1

**_Continuing self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_Finger Count: 10/10_**

**_Eye Count: 1/2_**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

_**Epic 9: The Wave Part 1**_

* * *

Back at _fucking_ Melromarc.

Whoopie.

At this time, my whole party has boots on our feet (stolen from dead bandits; surprisingly hygienic coming from them), so our once-bare feet were now protected from gravel.

I then look at my bounty nailed to a wall.

"Still 1 million..." I muttered disappointingly. "... I feel kinda offended."

My party passes by the bounties as we head towards the magic shop.

"Hey lady!" I called out.

"Oh!" She then turns towards me. "How may I help you?"

"... Do you not recognize me?" I pointed out. "It's me, Nan, the [Tome Hero]."

"Oh!" She remarked. "... My, you have changed quite a bit."

"Aside from the eye and thumb?" I then flex my metal thumb, its joints bending both ways. "Did you know that I have to shave once a week unless I want to grow a fully-formed stubble?"

"Well, enough of that." She stated. "What can I do for you?"

"The item that I reserved." I stated. "How much?"

She then takes out the [Sacrificial Dagger] while I switch from [Bane of Law] to [Favorite Customer].

"That'll be 2,000 gold." She stated. "As much as I'd like to get this accursed thing off of my hands, I'm trying to run a business."

"Hmm." I then pick up the dagger and began to look on it.

Time to haggle.

"I'll buy it for... 1,800."

"1,950."

"1,850."

"1,900."

"I'll take it."

We both shake hands as I then hand her the money (that I've looted from human [Encounters]) as she hands me the [Sacrificial Dagger].

"Now let's see what this does..." I then unsheathe the shiv.

"[Invoke] Skill, learned." My HUD stated.

Time for a skill-check.

**Skill: [Invoke]**

**Rarity: [Platinum]**

**Type: [Magical]**

**Figure it out for yourself, see what happens.**

"... At least I know it's [Magical]." I muttered out as I put the knife back into its sheath and slung it around my belt.

"Thank you for your business!"

My party then bounces to...

... Actually, where do we go from here-

"HEY YOU!"

Eeep.

I then turn around to see Motoyasu's ugly mug along with the rest of his party's.

Joy.

**Motoyasu**

**Compensating for something (And more)**

"Hey _fuckingham_." I called out to the Makoto-wannabe (from _School Days_) in a provocative tone. "Shouldn't you be shagging one of your harlots in your damned harem?"

"Quiet you!"

Behind blondie, I've seen the face of the damned she-devil herself.

And I'm being _polite_ here.

**Princess Malty Melromarc**

**Patron Goddess of Cutting Edge Bitches (KILL HER)**

"Hey head wife."I called out sarcastically. "How's the broken leg treating ya? You want me to even it out for ya?"

"HAVE YOU NO SHAME ATTACKING A WOMAN!?" Motoyasu roared out as I plugged my ears with my fingers. "AND MALTY, OUT OF ALL PEOPLE! SHE WAS RAPED BY NAOFUMI AND NOW YOU GO AND BREAK HER LEG TWO WEEKS AGO!"

He then points his lance towards me.

"FACE ME, YOU DAMN BASTARD!" He called out.

Just for curiosity's sake, I then [Auto-Analyze] Motoyasu and the rest of his party/harem.

**Name: [Motoyasu Kitamura]**

**Class: [Spear Hero]**

**Level: 27**

**Affinities****: [Lightning]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Legendary Spear], [Crusader's Mail], [Cardinal Cape]**

**Attack: 28 (+10)**

**Defense: 24 (+15)**

**Agility: 26 (+5)**

**Luck: 12 **

**HP: 230 (+10)**

**MP: 100 (+10)**

Generic loadout for a frontliner. Motoyasu, I'm slightly aware that you have some MMO experience, but tier-induced scrappys can only go so far being downplayed.

**Name: [Malty Melromarc]**

**Class: [Mage]**

**Level: 26**

**Affinities****: [Fire]**

**Alignment****: Neutral Evil**

**Equipment: [Silver Rapier], [White Armor], [Melromarc Regalia Tiara]**

**Attack: 29 (+5)**

**Defense: 19 (+10)**

**Agility: 24 (+5)**

**Luck: 30 (+25)**

**HP: 210 (+10)**

**MP: 300 (+50)**

"So three things I need to clear up before we start to murder each other." I pointed out. "One, judging by all your levels, I'm assuming that your entire party's level averages around 27."

"SO WHAT'S YOUR DAMN POINT!?" The lance-a-lot-of-woman yelled back.

"... Spoilers, but I'm level _40_."

The whole party is then taken back upon my little revelation that I kindly bestowed upon them.

"You wanna know how I lost my eye?" I then take off my hood, revealing my eyepatched face. "I took a [Manticore]'s quill straight through my eye and out back of my right ear. Wondering how on why I'm not dead from that, but hey, _details_."

Motoyasu, _stupid_ as he is, scoffs.

"So what!?" He yelled back. "There's only three of you and eight of us!"

"Let me get to that later, champ." I dismissively stated. "Two, for the past two weeks, I've been grinding for EXP nonstop, courtesy of Malty's daddy issuing me a 'kill-on-sight' order onto me, which, as much as I thank your daddy for his _generosity_, I'd like to make a suggestion regarding that."

I then walk towards his party as they _cower_ before my _awakened badassery_.

"S-Stay back-"

I then _backhand_ the moronic sunnovabitch towards the "racist restaurant" (the same one that has the "We do not serve demi-humans" sign outside),_ leveling the whole building_, and presumably killing _everyone_ inside, _except_ for Motoyasu.

"So let me get to my little suggestion."

I then caress Malty's chin as her face goes blue from sheer pants-shitting terror.

... Either that, or my [Bane of Law] title that I've reequipped back on is the culprit. Either or.

"Tell your daddy to drop the 'kill on sight' order because as much as I'd love to slaughter them for free EXP, even I know they're purpose aside from, hmm, I dunno, _ransacking an entire villages of demi-humans and enslaving all the children there_."

I hear her breathing_ quicken_.

"... How do you know of that?" She asked.

"... Took a bang and guess. And you gave it away." I gloated, thanks to something called "prior knowledge". "As I was saying before, tell daddy, retract order, and no one else has to be send to their deaths pointlessly, _capisce_?"

"[Lighting Spear]!" Motoyasu then bursts out of the rubble and charges towards me.

"[Full Coating]."

My rainbow veil then sends his ass flying _further_ back upon rebound.

"Oh, and finally, a little something." I stated as Malty watched her hero/boytoy went_ soaring_ towards an _outhouse_.

I then _bite_ down on her ear, drawing _blood_.

"... Come and _fucking_ try me, you damn, dirty whore."

And just to be a dick, I break her _other_ leg with a stomp-kick.

Oh the sound of a person's knee snapping and popping from being bent _sideways_. How fragile human beings can be.

"G-G-GUARDS!"

Two [Royal Guards] then ambush Fubuki and Garou.

I nod at them, giving them the sign.

First, Garou, sinks into the knight's own shadow and appears behind him, and jabs his [Katars] into the shoulder gaps in his armor, drawing blood from the bastard's neck, bleeding him out dry.

As for Fubuki, she just jams her [Twilight Gunstaff]'s barrel into the bastard's mouth, blasting her [Freeze Shot] into his mouth, turning his entire head into a spiky ice-cube, before the sheer weight added causes it to topple back and shatter,_ Kuai Liang_-style.

"Alright guys, good work as always." I turned back as Malty screams in pain or probably the random civilians that might've witnessed it. "NOW RUN LIKE HELL!"

Thank you, level 40 stats for making them look _zetta-slow_.

"Umm, Nan?" Fubuki asked while running. "Where do we go from here?"

... Crap, didn't think that far ahead.

But to hell with it. I was already going Hail-Mary from the moment I got my ass dumped into this world, so what the hell?

And besides, we have an hour to burn, so methinks its time to do some _last-minute-shopping_.

"You know the slaver's tent?" I asked the two. "And no, I'm not selling. I'm _buying_."

The two sigh out in relief.

And in front of me, a gaggle of [Royal Guards] form a blockade formation.

"Alright." I remarked. "You wanna play _hardball_?"

I then open Grimm's pages.

"Then you can play with them, [Summon-Metal Balloons]!"

The fanged balls of steel then bounce towards the gaggle as their maw bit down on their legs, triggering their [Burst Mine] Skill.

The rallied guardsmen go flying in bloody bits.

The remaining men then tries to kill off the balloons, with _minimal success_.

One, they're made of _metal_.

Two, thankfully as [Summons] they can die many times as they want and come back for more, but even with [Summons] like [Metal Balloons], I can only summon around 10 at a time.

Which is more than enough to waste these poor fools.

"Good work as always." I commented their performance.

Then [Metal Balloons] then began to glow blue, rather then their red (when about to go boom-boom).

Their once-smooth metallic surface is now completely _barbed_, making them look like spike balls with teeth and eyes.

"[Metal Balloons] evolved into [Spike Balloons]. [Burst Mine] has been upgraded into [Scatter Mine]." MY HUD announced.

... Yep. Pokemon.

**Fun Fact: [Evolving]**

**Wow! Congrats on your first evolved [Summon]!**

**[Summons] can evolved by using them enough, so that they can level up on their own!**

**As they say, gotta catch em all!**

"Hold on." I then check my [Summon List] in Grimm's pages.

So apparently, my [Spike Balloons] are now level 10, with my [Manticore] being around level 7, and everyone else being level 2 average.

"... So this is like Pokemon." I groaned out as the three of us shifted through the seedy alleyways, now evading the [Royal Guards] and killing [Thugs] with my [Purple Balloons].

[Thug] after [Thug], the [Purple Balloons] then evolve into the pus-covered [Gas Balloons], with me learning their new skill, [Noxious Gas], that replaced their [Poison Gas].

And just to clarify, I just learned that I can learn my [Summon]'s skills just by using the [Analyze] Skill while their out on the field, the same way that I learned [Threatening Roar] from my [Manticore].

Oh and P.S., I've learned its [Poison Stinger] Skill after it well... took out my eye.

... Did In forgot to mention that I miss _depth perception_?

"Welcome back kiddos." I sigh out in exhaustion as we approached the circus tent of slavery. "... You two can wait outside if you want."

The two nod in agreement.

"Holler if shit goes on outside, kay?"

I then go in with the two on firewatch with my [Spike Balloons] as backup.

"Ah! Welcome!" The slave trader greeted with his oddly-infectious smile. "What can I do for you?"

"Three things." I stated. "One, did the [Shield Hero] come along and buy a girl named Raphtalia?"

"He indeed did." He replied. "Also, regarding you message, he took the letter, but left the coin behind, saying that he doesn't want to be indebted to anyone."

Alright, everything is going smoothly. "Alright, second, you still have that level 67 [Werejaguar] in stock?"

"Sorry." He apologized. "Someone already beat you to it. And before you say anything, I'm afraid the buyer has told me to keep the purchasing a secret."

"Figures..." I sighed out. "And finally, three. You got those, ummm, what you call it..."

"You mean the [Monster Eggs]?" He replied. "Those just came in yesterday."

"Yeah, that." I replied. "Can you show me them?"

"Of course!" He then takes me to the main counter where the [Monster Eggs] were.

"[Fated Encounter] Skill, active."

My HUD then points towards three eggs, one being labeled [Filo], with the other two both being labeled [Insert Name].

"Only one of these eggs contain a [Tyrera], a dragon mount." The trader explained. "So pick one! You might be lucky-"

I just snatch the two eggs labeled [Insert Names] on them. Upon me grabbing them, both of them hatch open like Pokeballs.

_"Okay, this is literally Pokemon."_ I thought.

In front of me was an azure-scaled [Tyrera] of normal size and stature, and next to it was an infant [Red Filoial].

... Looking dangerously minuscule for an infant.

"Oh my..." The trader remarked. "First of all, congratulations on drawing the top prize. Second, you've also drawn the junk prize as well."

"Meaning?" I asked.

"One of these eggs were laid prematurely, as you can see by the runt that you've hatched along with your grand prize."

I then take a closer look at the weakened [Red Filoial].

Comparing Filo to him is like comparing a fat kid to a skeleton. The poor tyke looked like a stiff breeze can kill him.

I then see the dragon lie down in front of the baby red bird, protecting the frail infant.

"Hmm, that's odd." The trader pointed out. "Usually, the [Filoials] and the [Dragons] are usually at it with each other upon eye contact, but this relationship seem to be an oddity."

"Don't care, as long as one of them are not eating the other." I stated while giving them their names.

The [Red Filoial]'s name is **[Suzaku]**, while the [Tyrera]'s name is **[Seiryu]**.

I then see both of their names added to my [Party List]. Both of them at level 1.

"Alright." I stated.

I then head outside, only to see a bunch of [Royal Guards], [Mercenaries], and _discount-Kirito_ waiting for me at the front door.

... You know _who_ I'm talking about.

"This is the end of the line, Nan!"

**Ren**

**Can't wake up (Wake me up inside)**

"Yo _emo Han Solo_." I called out with a shit-eating grin. "Ya out for a jog with your new friends-"

A level 22 [Mercenary Swordsman] tries to take a swing out of me.

... He really shouldn't have gone for an _overhead swing_, because if he hadn't, he wouldn't have got his mommy-daddy-button kicked all the way into his _throat_.

HP to 1, thy name is _Johnny Cage_, bitches.

"Look." I stated. "I know that I have 1 million over my head-"

"It's _25 million_ now!" One of the [Royal Guards] called out.

"... Can you show it to me!?" I yelled back.

"YOU CAN PRY IT FROM MY ASS CRACK, YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"

The rest of the lot (sans Ren) laugh out like imbeciles.

"Tch..." I then let out a deep sigh. "... Alright, fine."

I then stomp the swordsman's hand reaching for the dropped sword, possibly breaking his arm in the process (level 40 stats baby).

"... I tried being polite. But apparently, this world is constantly insistent on proving the people living here as grade-A assholes."

I then instinctively open Grimm's pages (the other heroes hasn't figured out that my weapon is sentient, so that can work to my advantage), ready to start an afternoon barbecue.

"Ren." I stated while I placed my hand on his right shoulder. "As a fellow _sane_ human being to another, I only implore you one thing."

A massive orb of fire forms over my palm on my right hand.

**"Run."**

The next few seconds?

Call me crazy, but I think I now know what the_ surface of the sun_ looks like.

Weirder, only _half_ of those idiots died while the other half made already made a run for it.

... One step closer to taming my _extremely-volatile_ [Dritte-Casting] that makes _Megumin's Explosion_ look like a dollar-store firecracker in comparison?

Maybe.

On the plus side, the tent behind me didn't catch on fire, and my new party members already reached _level 20_.

"Call me crazy..." I spoke out of the blue. "... But I think I'm going to _miss_ that 'kill-on-sight' order."

Eh, nothing good lasts forever.

**"Mr. [Tome Hero]."**

"AGHAHH!" I yipped out upon seeing the butler's face appear on my HUD. "... Wait, how did you reach me?"

**"From the moment you've connected the [Enigmatic Tome] to the nexus, I am now able to communicate with you directly from the [Archive]."**

"Well now..." I pulled my best Arvis-impression.

So yeah, mission control.

Neat.

"... So yeah, thanks for letting me know." I stated.

"Of course."

The HUD-comms then log off.

"... Hoods up, we're leaving."

I then tuck [Suzaku] into my hood while the twins handle [Seiryu].

And by the time we head out of the alleyways, my whole party find ourselves surrounded by more [Mercenaries] and [Royal Guards] alike.

"... Does the smoldering cloud of ashen smoke tell you imbeciles anything!?" I yelled out. "Shouldn't you be out there preparing for the [Wave]!?"

... None of them were answering.

I took a closer look at their eyes.

Dead, as if they've given up their sense of self.

... I blame the Church of the Three Heroes for this crap. Their little institution seems to be driven on _mass-producing_ as many_ Motoyasu-knockoffs_ as possible.

And no, I don't think that I'm making this up, which is even _more_ disturbing in hindsight.

As for Malty fitting into all of this crap? She's on a league of her very _own_.

"Ugh, I'm overthinking this."

One [Dritte-Spectrum], comin' out hot.

... Okay, _too hot_.

"... Aaannnnd there goes roughly _one-twentieth_ of the whole castle town, up in flames, upheaved earth, icicles, tornadoes, and whatever elemental calamity that the sickest of minds can conceive of."

... Back to running.

**[Run. Nan. Run.]**

**After a crapload of running...**

"... I think we're clear." I heaved out.

"... Worst. Day. Ever." Garou heaved out.

"On the plus side..."

I looked around and see a familiar-looking clearing.

"... We got here early." I stated.

"Um... Nan?" Fubuki cried out.

"Talk to me." I said while drinking from my goatskin.

"We're out of [Mana Potions]." Fubuki stated.

I then perform a spit take upon hearing our recent plight.

"... Aw sunnovabitch." I cursed.

It's a good thing that I gave Fubuki [Auto-Regen: MP] passive to her, so that _slightly_ mitigates our shortage.

"Fubuki." I stated. "Make sure you stay close to me or at least away from the front lines, alright?"

She nods.

Look, being absurdly overleveled doesn't mean arrogance and overestimation are an option. Like I said, levels and stats matter _not_ when your veins are set ablaze by venom.

I then summon my [Manticore] and [Troll Chieftain].

"Alright you two." I stated. "Here's the plan..."

**Time Remaining Before [Wave] Starts:**

**0 Days**

**0 Hours**

**5 Min****utes**

**4 Seconds**

The air around us then begins to grow thick as my whole party moves _away_ from the clearing where the [Chimera] was to show up.

... I have my reasons for doing so.

My [Bird Eyes] are providing me with surveillance of the other three parties begin to move into the thickets.

"Alright people." I whispered while putting on camouflage/mud and leaves. "You all know the drill."

I then switch out my [Bane of Law] with [To Arms!] as my entourage of a dragon-mount, a chicken-sized [Red Filolial], a [Manticore], a [Troll Chieftain], a wolf-teen with his fox-chick twin, and a tome with teeth all nod.

... I am not even bothering why we weren't found out.

**Switching POV: [Queen's Shadow]**

"No your majesty." The [Queen's Shadow] reported. "The [Tome Hero] is currently hiding in the thickets, as if he's switched out his previous strategy of causing wanton destruction-"

She then spots the [Enigmatic Tome] spot her for a _millisecond_.

She then begins to run like hell.

_"What's wrong?"_ The [Queen's Shadow]'s [Long-Distance Telepathic Link] stated. _"You're moving away from your designated position." _

"They've spotted me." The spy stated. "Engaging evasive maneuvers, ASAP."

_"Understood."_ The Queen stated. _"Relay back to the other [Shadows] immediately."_

The [Queen's Shadow] then disappears into the darkness of the forests.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st Person**

"What's wrong, Grimm?" I asked the tome looking up.

**"Spotted someone."** He answered. "Was another of those [Shadows]."

"... Did it happened to be female?" I asked. "And on top of that, was it carrying any weapons?"

**"It was a female, for sure."** Grimm stated. **"As for what's she's packing aside from what she already has, nah. She's too scant on arms for an assassin, so that can't be it."**

"Then best if we leave her alone then." I replied. "They're from the Queen herself, so she's helluva more trustworthy then that wrinkled bastard of a regent, let alone, anyone directly affiliated with that bastard."

**"... If you say so."** Grimm replied.

Enough talk.

**Time Remaining Before [Wave] Starts:**

**0 Days**

**0 Hours**

**0 Min****utes**

**10 Seconds**

"Alright ladies and gentlemen..." I stated while I've mounted [Seiryu] and tucked [Suzaku] into my hood.

Fubuki then mounts the [Manticore] while Garou gets on top of the [Troll Chieftain]'s left shoulder.

"Happy hunting."

**Time Remaining Before [Wave] Starts:**

**0 Days**

**0 Hours**

**0 Min****utes**

**0 Seconds**

**"NOW BREAK!"**

* * *

**_To Be Continued..._**

* * *

**Author's Notes: **You know, aside from my other fanfics (**please read them**, I need more traffic/reviews on them, they need more love and more readers) ALEK and Grad Night coming the day after this Epic's release, I think I'm doing okay-ish.

And now the party continues to grow with an introduction of a blue [Tyrera] (dragon mount that the [Three Heroes] use) and a premature [Red Filolial], which, like the rest of the party, are badasses-in-the-making.

Thoughts complete. Let's rock.

In the next Epic...

Also, on a side note, _Evanescence_ reference for stereotypical and cheap emo jokes.

I regret nothing, at least it ain't _Linkin Park_.

* * *

**Stat Updates:**

* * *

**Name: [To Arms!], [Nan Hon-Jah]**

**Class: [Tome Hero]**

**Level: 40**

**Affinities****: [All Eight Elements]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Enigmatic Tome, Grimm], [Iron Rune], [Magus Robes], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Portable Dragon's Hourglass]**

**Attack: 39 (+30)**

**Defense: 30 (+20)**

**Agility: 32 (+15)**

**Luck: 31 (-10)**

**HP: 290 (+55)**

**MP: 400 (+110)**

* * *

**Name: [Garou]**

**Class: [Slave Fighter]**

**Level: 40**

**Affinities****: [Dark]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment****: [Assassin's Leather Armor], [Nightshroud], [Blade Gauntlets****], [Primal Claws], [Katars]**

**Attack: 42 (+50)**

**Defense: 31 (-20)**

**Agility: 30 (+65)**

**Luck: 19 (+20)**

**HP: 420 (-20)**

**MP: 150 (-100)**

* * *

**Name: [Fubuki]**

**Class: [Slave Mage]**

**Level: 40**

**Affinities****: [Ice]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment****: [Twilight Gunstaff], [Twilight Cloak], [Twilight Hunter's Hood], [Mana Medallion]**

**Attack: 39 (+35)**

**Defense: 24 (+20)**

**Agility: 34 (+35)**

**Luck: 23 (+20)**

**HP: 270 (-80)**

**MP: 480 (+150)**

* * *

So what do you guys think of this chapter?

Leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience is thinking!


	10. Epic 10: The Wave Part 2

**_Continuing self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_Finger Count: 10/10_**

**_Eye Count: 1/2_**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

_**Epic 10: The Wave Part 2**_

* * *

**Switching POV: Fubuki and [Manticore]**

The fox-[Slave Mage] was riding on top of the man-faced-lion-beast as the skies above turns blood-red with spirals of light forming above them, passing through thicket after thicket.

"Mr. [Manticore]!" Fubuki cried out. "What's going on!?"

Numerous skeletons then begin to appear from the portals in the sky, falling towards the before getting back up.

**"Trouble..."** The [Manticore] growled out as the skeletons begin to charge towards them.** "Get... ready... to fight..."**

The fox-girl nods as she fires up her [Twilight Gunstaff] with her [Freeze Shot].

"Right!"

The fox girl shoots her [Ice] spell in tandem with the [Manticore]'s [Poison Stingers], mowing down the first line.

"Nan..." Fubuki bit out while reloading another [Freeze Shot] into her gunstaff.

She then swats away a sword-wielding skeleton with her staff.

"Your plan better work!"

**Five minutes prior...**

_"So here's the plan." Nan stated. _

_The whole party then gathers around the [Tome Hero]._

_"The three of us will split to cover more ground to catch the attention from the mobs away from civilians." Nan stated. "The reason why, we can't level up from killing [Encounters] until [Class Upgrade], but the [Summons] aren't bound by such __restriction."_

_"Wait, we have been killing civilians and other people previously." Garou pointed out. "Why the sudden shift?"_

_"Simple." Nan replied. "There are more [Encounters] then civilians during the [Wave]. So civilian casualties is basically a waste of energy." He pointed out. "And besides, I've compared the EXP gain from civilians to [Encounters]."_

_"And what was the difference?" Fubuki asked._

_"... Let's just say that from now on, civilian casualties will be kept to a minimum via crossfire, or last resort, i.e., getting mobbed to a corner."_

_**"Fair enough."** Grimm stated. **"So [Summon]-spam?"**_

_"Henceforth the [Manticore] and the [Troll Chieftain]." Nan answered. "Those two are perfect candidates for my little hypothesis. No offense."_

_**"Eh, better than nuthin'."** The [Troll Chieftain] replied._

_**"Don't kill... other... humans..."** The [Manticore] slowly worded out. **"Just... other monsters... that are not... on our... side..."**_

_Everyone in the party nods in agreement._

_"Any questions?" Nan asked._

_No one objects._

_Then the [Wave] begins._

_"... Alright." Nan spoke out. "Happy hunting."_

**_"NOW BREAK!"_**

**Switching POV: Fubuki and [Manticore]**

The two then face more skeletons, almost to the point of reaching boredom.

Then they see a few civilians fleeing by away from another horde.

**"Master said do not... kill other... humans..."** The [Manticore] pointed out.

"True..." Fubuki mused.

She then fires a [Frost Trap] from her gunstaff, creating a wall of ice between the horde and the fleeing mob of civilians.

"... But he didn't say anything about helping them out."

**"Let's... kill the... bone men..."**

The beast roars towards the horde in front as the two resume their offensive.

**Switching POV: Garou and [Troll Chieftain]**

**"OI KIDDO!"** The [Troll Chieftain] roared out as another bone thrall is crushed beneath his massive foot.** "YA HOLDING JUST FINE!?" **

Garou headbutts another thrall down, cracking its skulls open, rendering it inanimate.

"Too easy." Garou remarked, realizing how his level 40 stats are dramatically giving him the high ground.

A bigger skeleton wielding an battle axe charges towards the [Troll Chieftain].

The [Summon], in response, simply shatters the behemoth with his mammoth-skull tower shield.

**"Eh, waste not, want not." **

The [Troll Chieftain] then picks his teeth with the skeleton's rib.

"Isn't there anything else that's worth killing?" Garou moaned out as he backhanded a charging skeleton behind him. "I mean, you're the only one leveling up!"

**"Better than nuthin' kiddo."** The giant replied while smashing another giant skeleton with an axe with its eagle-skull-based hammer.

**Switching POV: 1st Person with Suzaku and Seiryu**

"... In hindsight, this might've been a terrible idea."

By that, I mean an entire swarm of football-sized locusts were coming after my ass from behind while Seiryu was carrying both of us away from them, with me and Suzaku hanging on for our dear lives.

By the way?

I'm out of mana, because some idiot (read, ME) had to go trigger-happy in the very first minute of the damned [Wave], by using a [Dritte-Fireball] upon the biggest horde of those spookies that I can find.

... And upon realization, I hit two.

One, I might be going slowly insane from my new anarchist campaign against this world, with my rational train of thought GTFOing on me.

And two, in hindsight, I'm starting to become like the three entitled bastards in terms of mannerisms.

God forbid if I _completely_ end up like them.

Okay Nan, calm down.

What are my options aside from my spells-

**"... Ahem."** Grimm exclaimed.

...

Cue facepalm.

"... [Summon-Troll Shaman]."

The green-skinned giant garbed in bear-fur robes (its head acting as hood), wielding a staff fashioned from a bull skull on one hand, and a chain incense burner fashioned from a human skull and a tortoise shell from the other.

**"Your orders, master." **He stated while keeping up with Seiryu's speed despite said clothing on his person.

... Getting StarCraft vibes from his voice (Travis Willingham, is that you?).

"Can you kill those pests behind us!?" I cried out. "Because as you can see, I RATHER NOT BE WORM FOOD IF I CAN HELP IT!"

**"Obliged."**

The [Troll Shaman] then casts a small [Fireball] from his staff and lights the incense that is starting to _suspiciously smell like gunpowder-**OHMIGOD!**_

**"ASHES TO ASHES! DUST TO DUST! ALL LIFE ON EARTH BEGINS AND ENDS UPON THIS TAPESTRY KNOW AS LIFE!"**

The burner then begins to glow in a blue light as I signal Seiryu to pick up speed.

And correct me if I'm wrong, but I think a few trees catching fire from the sheer heat being emitted from the shaman.

**"NOW FEEL THE EARTH'S WARM EMBRACE AS YOU REBELLIOUS CHILDREN RETURN TO THE EARTH THAT YOU CAME FROM!"**

The incense burner then _explodes_.

**"[Cremation]!"**

Here were my last thoughts as me, Suzaku, and Seiryu went flying.

"[Cremation] Skill, learned."

"Fuck off."

And then I hit the dirt, with Suzaku's petite body fluttering on top of my head.

"... Good bird."

Seiryu then lowers his head, letting the bird on.

"So... big guy." I talked to the [Troll Shaman].

**"Yes?" **

"... Glad that you're on _my_ side."

Seriously, that could've been _me_ back at the troll village.

**[Mental Note: do not piss off anyone on my side, for obvious reasons aside from the already-obvious reasons]**

"Alright..." I slowly get back up.

Then I see a bunch of those skeletons fuckers right in front of me.

[Auto-Analyze] then passes me the info.

**Name: [Skeleton Fighter]**

**Class: [Abnormal Encounter]**

**Level: 25**

**Affinity: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Evil**

**Item Drops: [Raw Bone] (100%), [Steel Sword] (50%), [Steel Buckler] (50%), [Iron Rune] (10%)**

**Attack: 20**

**Defense: 20**

**Agility: 10**

**Luck: 0**

**HP: 150**

**MP: 0**

**Name: [Skeleton Mage]**

**Class: [Abnormal Encounter]**

**Level: 25**

**Affinities****: [Dark]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Evil**

**Item Drops: [Raw Bone] (100%), [Ruby Staff] (50%), [Black Robes] (25%), [Mana Medallion] (15%)**

**Attack: 25**

**Defense: 10**

**Agility: 15**

**Luck: 0**

**HP: 100**

**MP: 250**

**Name: [Skeleton Rouge]**

**Class: [Abnormal Encounter]**

**Level: 25**

**Affinities****: [Dark]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Evil**

**Item Drops: [Raw Bone] (100%), [Steel Shiv] (50%), [Steel Bow] (30%), [Rouge's Cowl] (30%), [Smoke Bombs x5] (25%)**

**Attack: 30**

**Defense: 5**

**Agility: 25**

**Luck: 5**

**HP: 50**

**MP: 50**

**Name: [Skeleton Ogre]**

**Class: [Rare Encounter]**

**Level: 27**

**Affinities****: [Dark]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Evil**

**Item Drops: [Raw Bone] (100%), [Giant's Bone] (80%), [Ogre's Horn] (60%), [Steel Bludgeon] (55%), [Steel Poleaxe] (40%), [Barbarian Armor] (20%), [Berserk Rune] (5%)**

**Attack: 30**

**Defense: 30**

**Agility: 5**

**Luck: 0**

**HP: 250**

**MP: 0**

... Wait a minute. Is that [Skeleton Ogre] wearing a scrapped-version of _Naofumi's_ armor!?

And there's two of this oni-like skeletons. And from that setup, I'm assuming that the one I add as my [Summon] will be the one featured with its weapon.

So an axe or a _kanabo_-

**"DUCK!"**

I instinctively dived under the club's swing arc.

"KANABO IT IS!"

I then open up Grimm's pages.

"[Summon-Gas Balloons]!"

The pus-riddled purple-colored balloons then bite down on the bones.

"Detonate, [Noxious Gas]!"

The [Gas Balloons] explode into green fumes, melting the joints of the [Skeletons] (Darkest Dungeon logic), and inflicting me with [Blight] status.

"[Cleanse]!"

[Blight] status is cleared from my HP bar, but the stench that belongs in an outhouse still remained in my nostrils.

"Mental note: get a gas mask on my own person and make it standard-issue for the whole party upon acquisition." I muttered to myself.

Let's try a parley.

"[Negotiate]."

Then time to talk to the [Skeleton Ogre].

**"Kill... all... life..."**

**[There's gotta be a better way.]**

**[Don't you have have any other hobbies?]**

... I get the feeling that _either option_ will result in me getting rejected.

**[Don't you have any other hobbies?]**

**"... Does torture count?"**

Called it. Back to swinging.

... Eh, if you don't succeed, try again.

**After ten minutes of playing dodgetank...**

"Okay..." I heaved out. "... Let's try that again."

For about the _tenth fucking time_.

Didn't need to learn that the [Skeletons]'s collective hobbies were reminiscent of the _Tainted Coil_ from Brutal Legend.

"How do [Skeletons] even do _BDSM_?" I muttered to myself while ducking under another swing. "Actually, now I kinda wanna know..."

"[Capture] Skill, learned." My HUD stated.

... "Gotta catch em all" indeed.

"... [Capture]."

Grimm shoots himself like Scorpion's chained kunai, teeth bared...

... And proceeds to devour the [Skeleton Ogre] _whole_.

"... I get it."

Like Guzma in his _Reset Bloodlines_ illustration (best Pokemon fic, ever), I body-slam Grimm's whole frame, pinning the captured [Summon] down in order to prevent its escape from Grimm's pages.

Meanwhile, I catch a glimpse of Seiryu dropkicking a [Skeleton Rouge] trying to take a potshot at my back, and surprisingly, _Suzaku_ disarming a [Skeleton Mage] of its staff by tricking the other [Skeleton Fighters] into attacking each other, by simply dodging their clumsy swings with its small frame and high base speed as its main advantages.

"I'm so proud of them..." I kinda _sniffed_ out.

"[Skeleton Ogre] added to [Summon]." My HUD announced.

"Alright!" I cried out as I summoned the recently subverted-[Skeleton Ogre] to my side.

"Hey big guy!" I called out.

**"... What... human master?"** The giant snarled out.

"Leave one of each skeleton alive, kill the rest."

The reanimated ogre then flails his [Steel Bludgeon] around, sending the undead legion flying in pieces of broken bone and steel.

And like my orders, only one of [Skeleton Fighter], [Skeleton Mage], and [Skeleton Rouge] was left mostly intact (all of them were in various degrees of lacking arms and legs).

Then the three of them beg for mercy/[Negotiate].

**"Lost... cause... Not worth... fighting..."**

**[Take them under your wing]**

**[Put them out of their misery]**

Answer is obvious.

**[Take them under your wing]**

**"[Skeleton Fighter]... [Skeleton Mage]... and [Skeleton Rouge]... now fight... for worthy cause..."**

The three vanish into Grimm's pages as my HUD announces their recruitment.

"Alright then..." I muttered out as I checked the surveillance provided by my [Bird Eyes].

The three bastards were slowly wearing down the [Chimera] with their party.

You know, looking at them from a perspective as a level 40, it's like watching noobs taking on a first boss.

My first boss happens to be an albino humanoid that boiled my spinal fluid and became my Alfred back at the [Archive]. Funny how things work out.

... Regardless, I might wanna hustle.

"Seiryu!" I then mount the blue dragon mount as I tucked Suzaku into my hood. "Back to the clearing! Double time!"

The dragon speeds off with my two [Summons] following behind.

As I quickly passed by, more locusts come swarming towards me.

**Name: [Undead Locusts]**

**Class: [Common Encounter]**

**Level: 18**

**Affinity: None**

**Item Drops: [Insect Wings x2] (80%), [Small Maw] (45%)**

**Attack: 20**

**Defense: 5**

**Agility: 20**

**Luck: 0**

**HP: 75**

**MP: 0**

"... Might as well add them."

One [Capture] later, the bugger joins my [Summons] as I cast [Cremation] on the rest of the disgusting lot.

And FYI, I don't have a problem with insects in general, except for mosquitoes.

The only things that they're good for are sucking blood, spreading disease, and mucking up swamps and ponds.

"Fucking buggers..." I muttered out as I glanced at the [Chimera]'s HP bar reaching the yellow-red fringe. "FASTER! I NEED TO GET THERE BEFORE IT DIES!"

Seiryu roars out in affirmation, picking up his pace towards the clearing.

"NOW JUMP!"

I jump in tandem with Seiryu's as Suzaku flutters down towards his head.

"[Capture]!"

Grimm shoots out with his mouth open, devouring the [Chimera] whole.

"[Chimera] added to [Summon]."

All according to plan.

Have the three heroes wear down the beast, and I come in to steal their kill.

"Sup assholes?" I cheerly spoke out. "How y'all doin' this afternoon?" I spoke in my faux-Southern accent.

"THAT WAS OUR KILL, YOU JACKASS!" Motoyasu yelled out.

"And what're you plan to do with it afterwards?" I retorted. "Eat it? Skin it? Because as far as I'm concerned, my solution was much more ethical and less wasteful-"

An arrow grazes my cheek.

"Three guesses say that it's Itsuki." I answered in an annoyed tone.

Through the crowd, I spotted the said [Bow Hero], with his face screaming with indignant rage.

"Yo strings." I called out. "How are the 1st-degree burns treating your ass?"

No words, just pure, _unadulterated_ rage, _rabid_ screaming and a volley of [Fire Arrows] coming towards me.

"[Full Coating]."

Said arrows are then flung back towards the people behind him, setting off an array of explosions and [Royal Guards] flying that would make Michel Bay proud.

"... Crap, meant to save that for my [Summons]." I spat out. "Eh, no biggie."

Wit a snap of my finger, I summoned [Troll Berserker], [Troll Defender], and [Chimera] back into the fray, with my [Troll Shaman] quickly joining.

"If you lot have any issues with, feel free to take it up with the rest of my family." I stated in a faux-affable tone. "If not, then piss off."

"HA!" Malty sneered out. "SO WHAT YOU CAN DO IS TO BRING OUT MORE FODDER!" She stated out while being blind to her own arrogance. "ARCHERS!"

Then arrows come raining down on me.

"*sigh*, [Nil Coating]."

The arrows don't even scratch me.

The three heroes, also blind to their own arrogance, also go _Leeroy-Jenkins_ on my ass.

... Poor bastards.

"[Lightning Spear]!"

"[Flame Blade]!"

"[Frost Arrow]!"

[Troll Defender] blocks all three attacks with his dual-tower shields fashioned from giant snake-skulls and rusted [Iron Plates].

**"No one gets past me."** The [Troll Defender] boasted in the voice of _Dee Bradley Baker_. **"[Counterstrike]!"**

And we have liftoff, folks. We have liftoff.

"[Counterstrike] Skill learned." My HUD stated.

As where they all land, who knows/gives a shit.

"Alright!" I rallied my [Summons]. "With the exception of the heroes's parties, kill them all, folks."

With the snap of my finger, my [Summons] unleash hell upon the [Royal Guards], ignoring the heroes's party members.

As for the party members, well, they're mine.

"So ladies and gents, how are you all faring today?" I asked while adopting a faux-gentleman-like tone.

"You're a disgrace to the heroes!" One of them yelled out.

"Well, if you're all a bunch hotshots you think you are..."

My hands then begin to emit electricity from my [Shocktouch].

"... Then come and stop me, you wannabes."

And first dumbass of the day, Mald.

... Metal+Electricity=_Electric Chair_.

I only leave him _mostly_ dead.

"... Any takers?" I asked.

No one answers.

... Except for Malty, who she then draws her [Silver Rapier] from her belt.

"My." I stated. "For a spoiled royal brat, you've got balls, lady."

"YOU THINK AFTER HUMILIATING ME BACK AT MELROMARC, MY BIRTHRIGHT, THAT I WOULD STAND FOR YOUR VILLAINY!?"

"Tch, well yeah." I answered. "Assuming if your gray matter is intact of reason."

"THEN DIE YOU BASTARD!"

... You know, in every SI-fic I've read before coming here, I've been noticing a certain pattern with each narrative.

Okay, who here knows the trope, "Adaptational Expansion"?

Because correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember her only swinging a sword like, _once_.

So when the hell did she graduate at a "Magic Knight School" with_ honors_!?

Because she somehow sets her [Silver Rapier] on fire, and her movements are reminiscent of_ Asuna's_.

... And no. As much as I hate her (read: both), I need her _alive_ for my future gambits, so [Full Coating] is not an option, lest I want to stitch her back up.

Only one one option remaining.

"[Bite]!"

Grimm's chompers then break the heated blade.

Even with her blade broken, she resumes her attack.

"[Zweit-Fireball]!"

... Nothing.

[Anti-Zweit] saves the day _again_.

"*snort* Idiot."

And I cave her nose in with a regular headbutt, hitting her HP bar down to red, and making her eat the dirt.

"Alright, jig's up, Grimm." I called out. "Let em see ya true self."

The [Enigmatic Tome] then floats up from its chains, with its gem now an eyeball, and teeth covering the fringes of its covers.

**"Sup."** The book spoke to the horrified party members.

And I could tell, because we've inflicted [Horror] status on the whole lot.

"T-t-the legendary weapon..." The [Cleric]-like party member stuttered out. "... It's... a-a-alive?"

"And _peckish_." I remarked as a [Royal Guard Captain]'s legless corpse landed right next to me. "Oh, food."

Oh, and from the looks of it, it was the same captain that ordered the fire arrow rain on Lute Village, the same one that left his men so he can mooch off the [Three Heroes]'s kill, and the same one that got his ass kicked by Raphtalia.

May ya ass be eaten by Grimm and be tormented inside of him as raw [Crafting Materials], you smarmy bastard.

The other party members watched in horror, with a few vomiting at the visage.

"Well, I'm bored now." I muttered out as I sat on Malty's crawling body. "But before I go..."

I give her an evil look and a sadistic grin as I spotted my other party members and their [Summons] coming towards my way.

"... I'm going to leave something behind for your boyfriend, m'kay?" I beamed.

**Switching POV: Motoyasu**

The [Spear Hero] along with the others were running through the thick as the [Wave] slowly came to an end.

"Just who is that bastard think he is anyway!?" Motoyasu muttered as he ran through the groves.

And upon reaching the clearing, Motoyasu, Itsuki, and Ren were in shock in pure horror.

There were mangled bodies everywhere, the remaining party members were all gravely injured with knife-like quills embedded into their legs, the Korean bastard and his party were nowhere to be found, and worst of all...

"MYNE!" The [Spear Hero] ran towards the redhead who was stripped down to her underwear, hung from a tree by her ankle, and her face covered in bruises.

"... Spea... Hero." Malty mumbled out through her bumps.

She then coughs out a crumpled ball of paper.

Motoyasu then picks up the paper, flattens it out, and finds something written on it, in _blood_.

**[I wish you two happiness in your future fucking.]**

**[Signed: Nan, the Wayward Tome Hero]**

**[P.S.: Look up.]**

A purple-colored, pus-covered [Balloon] monster falls onto his face.

The last thing he takes a whiff at was the stench of rotting fish and a dumpster's worth of waste before passing out as if a loose brick hit his head dab smack in the back of his head.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st Person**

"WE'RE HOME!" I yelled out as me and my party members returned to the [Archive].

Seiryu and Suzaku look around their new home.

"Welcome back, dear [Tome Hero]." The butler answered. "One question..."

"Yeah what is it-"

I then feel something crawling on my back.

I swipe my cloak, revealing a black-skinned dwarf-like creature latched onto me.

"AGH! WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!?" I screeched out at the creature behind me.

"... I was to ask what was that on your back." The butler asked out. "Would you [Analyze] it before ridding of it-"

"Oh would ya just shuddup already?" The dwarf-like creature spoke out in a deep Scottish accent.

Now that I take a closer look at it, the creature was wearing a pilot hat with goggles on top, a white muffler was around its neck, and from its satchel, it pulled out a jeweled golden cigar lighter that oddly resembles a western-styled dragon along with a pack of cigarettes, and lights one up between its scaly lips.

"Umm..." I tried to ask. "Who are you?"

The short creature then blows out a huff of smoke from its lips.

"That's a little rude for a first impression, ain't it?" The short creature pointed out. "You can at least say 'please'."

"... Sorry." I stated. "Please, tell us who you are."

The short creature then blows out another smoke. "To be honest, can't remember shite, except for the fact that I'm a [Gremlin] that used to be a man, and the fact that roughly _10,000_ years has passed looking for it, going through temporal rifts just to find out who I was before this shite happened to me." He stated as he pulled out a chained silver pocket watch from his satchel. "Oh, and, uhh... Sorry bout latching onto ya. Slipped off of a tree branch while you and your pets were hauling ass."

So this guy has been walking through the dimensional fractures for each [Wave] in parallel worlds.

"So _another_ amnesiac..." I pointed out. "... At least you ain't the only one..."

**"Bite me."** Grimm stated.

"Hey, I have an idea." I spoke out. "How about I give the butler and you new names?"

Both look at each other before nodding in agreement.

"To complete the set..." I looked at Seiryu and Suzaku. "... The butler's will be [Byakko], while the [Gremlin] will be [Genbu]."

I then extend both of my hands.

"Pleasure to work with ya both."

The newly-christened Byakko and Genbu take my hands and shake on it.

"To the end of days, master Nan." Byakko stated.

"Don't let me down laddie, ya hear?" Genbu spoke out while relighting another cigarette with his dragon-shaped lighter.

"Now?" I stated out loud.

Let's look at the party.

A wolf-boy and fox-girl twins, a [Homunculus] butler acting as my mission control, a blue [Tyrera] with a [Red Filolial] runt as surrogate siblings, and a temporal-hopping [Gremlin] seeking out his former identity.

And to top it all off was me, a former wayward _nobody_ now a _wayward hero_, a sentient grimoire who will be the author of our little _chronicle_, and let's not forget my [Summons], my bread and butter for this world's problems.

Together, the whole base party has now been assembled. And more is to come our way, ready to join our cause.

And to celebrate our first day of completion?

"... Let's go rob Melromarc blind." I smiled while switching back to [Wayward Hero]. "Commence [Operation: Anarchy]."

Then I hear stomachs grumbling.

"... Right after a quick dinner." I stated. "Byakko, the usual."

"Of course." The albino butler then dashes into the kitchen.

"Oi." Genbu bumps his elbow against my leg. "... Does this place have booze?"

* * *

**_To Be Continued..._**

* * *

**Author's Notes: **As the Law of Economic Demand states: the consumer decides the price of desired goods and services, and henceforth, the release date for this fic will be more frequent.

Hoo rah, muthafuckers.

The SI ain't done with Melromarc yet.

And now, the whole party is complete, and their first outing will involve the true [Boss Encounter].

**[Operation: Anarchy]** is now _greenlit_, and the whole castle town by the end of this will be _redlit_.

* * *

**Stat Updates:**

* * *

**Name: [Wayward Hero], [Nan Hon-Jah]**

**Class: [Tome Hero]**

**Level: 40**

**Affinities****: [All Eight Elements]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Enigmatic Tome, Grimm], [Iron Rune], [Magus Robes], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Portable Dragon's Hourglass]**

**Attack: 39 (+30)**

**Defense: 30 (+20)**

**Agility: 32 (+15)**

**Luck: 31 (-10)**

**HP: 290 (+55)**

**MP: 400 (+110)**

* * *

**Name: [Garou]**

**Class: [Slave Fighter]**

**Level: 40**

**Affinities****: [Dark]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment****: [Assassin's Leather Armor], [Nightshroud], [Blade Gauntlets****], [Primal Claws], [Katars]**

**Attack: 42 (+50)**

**Defense: 31 (-20)**

**Agility: 30 (+65)**

**Luck: 19 (+20)**

**HP: 420 (-20)**

**MP: 150 (-100)**

* * *

**Name: [Fubuki]**

**Class: [Slave Mage]**

**Level: 40**

**Affinities****: [Ice]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment****: [Twilight Gunstaff], [Twilight Cloak], [Twilight Hunter's Hood], [Mana Medallion]**

**Attack: 39 (+35)**

**Defense: 24 (+20)**

**Agility: 34 (+35)**

**Luck: 23 (+20)**

**HP: 270 (-80)**

**MP: 480 (+150)**

* * *

**Name: [Byakko]**

**Class: [Cleric]**

**Level: 30**

**Affinities****: [Fire], [Lightning], [Light]**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Equipment: [Medic's Scalpels], [Faithful Suit], [Basic Medical Aid Utility Belt]**

**Attack: 25 (+5)**

**Defense: 25: (+5)**

**Agility: 35 (+15)**

**Luck: 25 (+5)**

**HP: 300 (+50)**

**MP: 300 (+50)**

* * *

**Name: [Genbu]**

**Class: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Affinities****: None**

**Alignment: ?**

**Equipment: [Wayward Nomad's Garbs], [Silver Pocket Watch & Chain], [Fafnir's Flametongue]**

**Attack: ?**

**Defense: ?**

**Agility: ?**

**Luck: 9,999**

**HP: ?**

**MP: ?**

* * *

So now the main party has been completed!

What do you guys think of this Epic?

And how much of Melromarc should my SI completely and utterly fuck up by the next sunrise?

Please leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience are thinking.


	11. Epic 11: The Wave Part Finale

**_Continuing self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_Finger Count: 10/10_**

**_Eye Count: 1/2_**

**_Commencing [Operation: Anarchy]._**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

_**Epic 11: The Wave Part Finale**_

* * *

... Already in the alleyways of Melromarc, and the first thing that's stuck in my brain is _Life Will Change_ from Persona 5 as me and my whole party (sans Seiryu and Suzaku; two of them are beat after the [Wave], so the two are sleeping) sneak our way to the Cathedral of the Three Heroes.

Then again, what we're about to do is essentially a Palace Raid.

... I think I've might've jinxed myself, but hey, levels from those churchgoers can't be that high-

**Name: [Three Heroes Zealot]**

**Class: [War Cleric]**

**Level: 42**

**Affinity: [Light]**

**Alignment: Lawful Evil**

**Item Drops: [Holy Vestments] (90%), [Silver War-Cross] (75%), [Darkbane Gauntlets] (75%), [Basic Elixir x5] (50%), [Celestial Rune of Protection] (20%), [Mark of the Apostle] (5%)**

**Attack: 38**

**Defense: 39**

**Agility: 20**

**Luck: 25**

**HP: 400**

**MP: 200**

"... Frick." I cursed under my breath. "Entry boss ain't fooling around..."

Of course the damned Melromarc Inquisition would have this shit under their sheets. After all, one doesn't leave his own domain unguarded when there's a threat running around.

... _Me_. They're prepared for me.

**"Hey kid."** Grimm whispered out. **"Got any ideas?"**

"Let's see..." I then dug my brain for possible weaknesses for that [Three Heroes Zealot] standing guard in front of the doors.

One, its location.

Out in the open, directly under the moonlight, wide open space for my party to get boxed in by the other possible guards, and oh, let's not forget that the lug is level _42_.

Granted, we took on a [Roc] and a [Manticore] and are no strangers to punching above our own weight, but that was out in the _wild_, not in a cramped _urban warzone_.

Two, the boss itself.

High-rarity and performance weapon and armor,_ healing items_, and the meaty-looking stats beneath its name, yeah, that guy is_ loaded_.

And as Dark Souls thought me, smaller bosses in higher levels are harder to manage then the bigger lugs present. At least with them, you can hit them anywhere to deal damage and their attacks are a bit more detectable (if a little harder-hitting). For the human bosses, let's just say that they can _dodge_ and leave it right there.

And no, I am not going to risk my life to see if there's a **"You Died"** pop up post-mortem.

Three, our options.

Head-on assault is basically _suicide_, sneaking around him would be a viable option, but then I run into a roadblock regarding entry plan, and escape plan.

And no, entering and leaving empty-handed is _not_ an option.

So our ideal plan is to find a way to kill the entry boss without raising an alarm, without attracting attention, and make sure that it dies in one hit.

Plausible.

I then look at my party, Genbu in particular.

"I forgot to ask earlier." I asked the [Gremlin]. "But what can you exactly do?"

"Simply, really." Genbu replied. "I can control time and space using this." He stated while taking out his [Silver Pocketwatch]. "This little baby is the sole reason why I wasn't ground to mincemeat every time I cross dimensional boundaries. Word of advise, don't stick anything into those things that look like flowing rays of light lest ya lose it laddie."

Wait wait wait." I spoke out. "Say that part again."

"... I can control time and space with my [Silver Pocketwatch]." Genbu stated. "... Waitaminute."

The [Gremlin] smiles with his scaly lips.

"Ya thinking what I'm thinking?" I asked the little guy.

"Exactly what you're thinking." Genbu stated.

Okay, plan time.

Turns out Genbu's [Silver Pocketwatch] has spatial and chronological properties (which, by the way, I would consider it a huge case of Deus Ex Machina, but considering _who's_ runs this whole shindig... _yeah_), so I decided to take a closer look at his little trinket.

**[Silver Pocketwatch]**

**Rarity****: [Oricalchum]**

**Skill: [# %$ $#^%$^%$^$%^%$^...**

... Wow. I mean, like, wow.

An item that's allegedly so powerful that the rest of the description text is blurbed out.

... Alright, further digging it is.

"Genbu, can you tell me more about the [Silver Pocketwatch]?" I asked.

"Could, but can't." The squat figure replied. "Even I dunno what it does, and the only reason why I know in the first place is that I've been using it the way I remember it."

Ah, so kinetic memory.

No words or images. Just actions.

"... Okay." I stated. "How long can you freeze time for?"

"About a minute." He replied. "That's how long it usually takes for me to jump through [Wave] after [Wave]. Cooldown time usually takes about a whole week."

... Finally, I have a plan in motion.

But fuck the details, gonna play _Life Will Change_ in my head like a total weeb.

"Okay." I stated with anticipation. "Let's move."

Genbu clicks on the top notch of his [Silver Pocketwatch], and the whole world around us freezes in time.

"We've only got a minute." Genbu stated. "Move."

I lash out Grimm's chains as his teeth anchored into the masonry, and my whole party latched onto me as Grimm's chains reeled all of us towards the front door.

We nearly missed the [Three Heroes Zealot] by the the literal hair (dude really needs to shave his beard), and the six of us scramble towards the door.

Byakko uses his [Medic's Scalpel] to bust the keyhole open, and the six of us slip into the gap provided before I shut the door gently.

Time resumes once more, and we've successfully avoided an unnecessary encounter with the vigil behind us-

I hear something drop.

Behind my whole party was a nun dropping a silver candlestick.

"Grimm."

Like an actual King Cobra, the nun was devoured whole without so much as making a peep or a mess.

"... That was a close one." I mumbled as I hid myself with the whole party behind a drawer.

"Shh." Garou shushed. "I hear footsteps."

I casted [Analyze] on the two clergies heading towards where the nun was at.

**Name: [Three Heroes Priest]**

**Class: [Mage]**

**Level: 39**

**Affinity: [Light]**

**Alignment: Lawful Evil**

**Item Drops: [Holy Vestments] (90%), [Silver Staff] (75%), [Intermediate Mana Potion x5] (50%), [Three Heroes Church Crucifix] (20%)**

**Attack: 20**

**Defense: 25**

**Agility: 31**

**Luck: 35**

**HP: 200**

**MP: 300**

**Name: [Three Heroes Inquisitor]**

**Class: [Fighter]**

**Level: 39**

**Affinity: [Light]**

**Alignment: Lawful Evil**

**Item Drops: [Holy Vestments] (90%), [Silver Sword] (75%), [Intermediate Health Potions x5] (50%), [Blessed Silver Chainmail] (30%), [Three Heroes Church Crucifix] (20%)**

**Attack: 33**

**Defense: 35**

**Agility: 16**

**Luck: 10**

**HP: 350**

**MP: 100**

... I think I've might have underestimated the Three Heroes Church's intelligence.

Apparently, they're smart enough to know to pair healers with frontliners in their patrols.

"Tch, must've been someone bumped into it by accident." The armored clergy stated while placing the silver candlestick onto the desk that we were hiding in.

"It still pains me to miss out on the celebration of the Three Heroes's first victory..." The robed clergy stated.

"The Pope's words are law, Brother Cedric." The [Three Heroes Inquisitor] stated. "Think of it as another tribulation that tests our faith."

"... You're right, Brother Fredrick." The [Three Heroes Priest] stated. "Perhaps we shall be rewarded when the Three Heroes emerge victorious in the next [Wave]."

And while those two were conversing, I changed my title into [Phantom Thief] and [Five-Finger Discount] myself a [Intermediate Mana Potion x5] and [Intermediate Health Potion x5].

"... I hate stealth sections." I mumbled as the two walked away.

"You want me to sneak ahead?" Garou asked. "I can swim inside shadows like water."

"How long can you hold your breath?" I asked.

Garou simply dives into the shadow cast by a vase and pops out of the corner of the hallway.

... Okay, the whole Persona 5 comparison is starting to get a little too ridiculous.

"[Shadow Dash] Skill learned." My HUD stated.

... Okay, I'll bite. Apparently, Garou's go-to Skill can work wonders in stealth sections.

"[Shadow Dash]."

I then suddenly zip towards the windowsill bringing the moonlight in.

Upon almost being caught by nearly casting a shadow from the moonlight (_Uzura-Gakure-no-jutsu_, bitch), I them crawl-stumble my way towards where the wolf-teen was.

"... I need you to teach me how to use your [Shadow Dash]." I asked Garou.

"Later." He whispered as he signaled his hand towards the other members.

The remaining three crawl their way towards our direction.

"Okay..." I mumbled. "We're losing time."

**"What's your plan, then?"** Grimm asked.

"... Split the party." I stated. "Garou and Fubuki will head towards the left corridor." I stated while handing her [Intermediate Mana Potions x5]. "Byakko and Genbu head right, and me and Grimm will head straight forward."

I then distribute 3 [Intermediate Health Potions] to the twins, 1 for Byakko and Genbu, and 1 for myself and the [Enigmatic Tome]. After that, I each hand them a large tote-bag-sized satchels (also from the bandits we've killed earlier).

"When you find a room filled with anything valuable or important-looking, sack it and run." I ordered. "But whatever you do, don't get greedy or else you might lose it. Regarding priority, go for weapons, potions, scriptures, and then, take whatever else you want for yourselves, in that order. And I cannot stress this enough, but _don't get caught_. Everyone got it?"

We all nod.

"Happy hunting." I stated. "When in_ any_ doubt, meet me up in a giant room where you can find a giant version of this." I pointed to my [Portable Dragon's Hourglass].

The whole party then split into three groups. With me going forward, the twins heading left, and the black and white duo heading right.

"So..." I whispered as I evaded another [Three Heroes Inquisitor] patrol. "You think my plan will work?"

**"Even if they get caught?"** Grimm stated while I rolled to another corner to hide in. **"They'll be fine on their own."**

"But that's precisely it." I retorted while tiptoeing my way across a [Three Heroes Priest] that was taking a nap on the bench next to a door labeled "Mess Hall". "My plan can only work when we're perfectly hidden."

**"If we do get caught?"** Grimm asked." **"Then what?"**

I internally sigh as I [Shadow Dash] my way behind another [Three Heroes Inquisitor].

"... Then I hope that we don't get caught until we reach the [Dragon's Hourglass]." I mumbled while sneaking past another sleeping guard. "Worst case scenario, run this place through and hope for the best."

I then spot a room labeled "Treasury".

... With a [Three Heroes Inquisitor] as a _guard_ next to it, keys included.

"Aw, sonofabitch." I cursed. "Even if I get the keys, the locks being picked make noises, especially the ones made of slag."

**"... So we kill the guard, then?"** Grimm pointed out.

"Without leaving a trace." I stated.

But how can I do all that within one, fell, swoop?

... One fell swoop...

I look up.

A gargoyle state lamppost, _unlit_.

_Directly_ underneath the sleeping vigil.

I then look a little closer where the vigil was at.

A windowsill pointing the moonlight _adjacent_ from his direction.

The [Three Heroes Inquisitor] himself _completely_ in the _dark_.

I grin.

"... How good are you at swallowing people whole?" I asked.

**"I can only [Capture] [Encounters], not people."** He stated.

"Who says anything about [Capture]?" I replied.

**"... Oh."** Grimm realized. **"I get it..."**

**Switching POV: Byakko and Genbu**

"Hmm. First time away from the [Archive], and I'm not regretting it in the slightest." Byakko remarked.

"Haven't been out much, eh laddie?" Genbu stated.

"For almost a _half a decade_, I'm afraid." He chuckled out.

"True that!" The [Gremlin] laughed out.

... In front of the four patrols right in front of them.

"... Oh dear." Byakko cursed out as he reached for his knives as the other four [Three Heroes Inquisitors] and [Three Heroes Priests] drew their weapons.

"Eh, don't sweat it, laddie." Genbu nonchalantly stated while lighting a cigarette.

"Mr. Genbu, I don't think this is the appropriate time to take a fag break-"

The black [Gremlin] points his dragon-shaped lighter towards the four clergymen.

A massive jet of blue flames engulfed the four patrols, completely disintegrating them, only leaving their clothing behind.

"[Fafnir's Flametongue]." Genbu stated. "Once a week, I can cast [Soulburner], which deals lethal [Fire] damage to all [Organic] and [Spiritual], but leaves everything else intact."

The bits of loose armor, weaponry, and clothing clang onto the marble flooring, but no one hears of it.

"... Luck 9,999, I presume?" Byakko asked while sacking [Intermediate Mana Potions x10] and [Intermediate Health Potions x10] into the satchel.

"Oh, so you're not the only one, eh laddie?" Genbu pointed out while scooping up a sheathed [Silver Sword].

"As butler, it's my duty to discern people from people for my master's well-being." Byakko stated while stashing two [Silver Staffs] and four [Holy Vestments] while equipping a [Blessed Silver Chainmail].

"You do you, kiddo." Genbu stated while unsheathing a [Silver Sword] for use, despite the blade being twice as tall as himself. "Shall we clear out, laddie?"

"Yes, let's." The two then head their way towards the door labeled "Kitchen".

**Switching POV: Garou and Fubuki**

"Hurry up, this way!" Garou whispered towards Fubuki from a distance.

The fox-girl dashes towards her twin brother hiding behind a statue of a figure holding a lance.

Garou then spots a door opening, revealing a [Three Heroes Priest] walking out, yawning.

The wolf-boy looks up at the sign on top of the rim.

The moonlight obscures the letters carved onto the brass sign, nor they could read what it says.

For Nan is about to regret the fact that he forgot to teach them how to read.

For they do_ not_ know what they're in for...

**"Penance Hall"**

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

"... I get the the feeling that I'm forgetting _something_." I stated while sacking the "Tresury" of _all_ of its [Projection Orbs x500] (aka: _Adobe Crystal Pro_), various artifacts that I will not mention by name, [Perfected Holy Water x100], [Celestial Vestments x25], [Platinum War-Crosses x5], and about 35 million gold's worth of offerings/indulgences.

... I know my history and of the Catholic Churches "practices".

**"Won't matter if they're alive in the end."** Grimm remarked while eating piles of [Scrolls] that all (predictably) contain [Light] Skills.

"[Smite], [High Healing], [Divine Shield] Skills learned." My HUD stated as I unrolled three scrolls for myself.

As me and the book cleared out the whole room of its goods, we head back out.

... Only to find several [Three Heroes Inquisitors] waiting for us.

"... Smarter then they look, eh Grimm?" I pointed out.

**"Either way, they're all _animal feed_."** He remarked with his teeth bared.

"Y'all heard the script." I pointed out towards the (trembling) clergymen. **"Time to die."**

"[Summon-Manticore], [Summon-Chimera], [Summon-Spike Balloons]."

I then ran like hell as the hallway behind me was painted red.

"NOW WHAT!?" Grimm barked out. "WHERE DO WE GO!?"

"Simple really." I stated.

I then fire [Dritte-Spectrum] everywhere.

"UNLEASH HELL!" I roared out over the cacophony of explosions as I hastily looked for the [Dragon's Hourglass] while sending out the rest of my [Summons] (sans [Roc], she's last resort), purposefully setting up the alarms up to 99.9%.

On the way, I run into both Garou and Fubuki, both covered head to toe in blood, smelling like shit, and their eyes seared with pure, unadulterated, _psychological trauma_.

"... Can I ask what happened now or later?" I asked the two.

**"They're going to die."** Garou snarled out. **"All. Of. Them."**

**"Save some for me brother..."** Fubuki whispered out in a ghastly rasp. **"I feel the same as well."**

"Later it is, then." I mumbled while trying to avoid psychological landmines and people wanting my head on a pike at the same time.

While me, the tome, and the twins were running and gunning, my [Summons] were power-leveling like crazy, and along the way, I run into the other two, their bags full of food and bottled drinks.

"... Kitchen raid?" I pointed out.

"Well, the two can't just eat spare artificial meat forever, now can they?" Byakko pointed out.

"That, and the fact that I smelled good wine in there." Genbu slurred out. "... By the way, why does the twins smell like shite?"

"I'll get to that later." I droned out as my party quickly ran towards the suspiciously-large and grandiose-looking double-door.

I kick the door down, and in it was the genuine [Dragon's Hourglass] at its center, with no one in it.

I shut the door behind us, with the very-angry clergymen behind us.

"Fubuki, ice the door." I ordered.

She shoots [Freeze Trap] to barricade the doors shut with an erected wall of ice.

"That should hold them off for a while." I stated while heading towards the [Dragon's Hourglass] with my handheld one in hand.

I then connect the [Portable Dragon's Hourglass] on to the circle rune standing before the giant timeteller.

"Now then..." I sat down as my [Portable Dragon's Hourglass] downloaded its full features. "... Can you two tell us what you two just saw?"

The two demi-humans grit their teeth in suppressed rage.

"They killed them..." Garou snarled out. "... Like _cattle_."

"... Why?" Fubuki sniffed out. "Why were they_ skinless_?"

"... Master, I think we should leave them be-"

"No." I stated. "Let it out, you two. Better out than in."

"I saw them..." Garou whimpered out. "They were hung from sharp hooks from the ceilings..."

"Blood everywhere on the floor..." Fubuki sniffled out. "Chests ripped open..."

I vomit off of the ledge where the [Dragon's Hourglass] was standing at.

"... I'm so sorry that you had to see that." I tearfully _wept_ out.

Yeah, Three Heroes Church my ass.

These guys were basically _Holy See_ from _Berserk_.

"[Class Upgrade] and [Teleport-Epicenter] added to [Portable Dragon's Hourglass]." My HUD messaged.

"Alright then." I breathed out. "How angry do you all feel?"

I could hear both Garou's and Fubuki's teeth _grinding_ against each other.

"... Angry it is." I then open up the [Class Upgrade] menu, and see three name bars in it.

The original three (four counting Grimm; we're a package deal).

Now I see the possible class promotions for each of us.

**[Garou]**

**Class: [Slave Fighter]**

**A) [Brawler] ([Daggers] & [Gauntlets])**

**B) [Inquisitor] ([Sword] & [Gauntlets])**

**C) [Barbarian] ([Axe] & [Gauntlets])**

**[Fubuki]**

**Class: [Slave Mage]**

**A) [Magus] ([Wand] & [Staff])**

**B) [Monk] ([Staff] & [Gauntlets])**

**C) [Hermit] ([Staff] & [Daggers])**

**[Nan Hon-Jah]**

**Class: [Tome Hero]**

**A) [Tome Saint] ([Sacred Tome: Grimm the Ascended])**

**B) [Tome Fallen] ([Forbidden Tome: Grimm the Heretic])**

**"[Playlist]."** I stated. **"Play _Do the Evolution_ by Pearl Jam. _Max volume_."**

**Switching POV: Three Heroes Brotherhood**

Several [Three Heroes Inquisitors] and [Three Heroes Priests] were trying to ram the frost-laced doors down.

"WHAT'S GOING ON!?" The [Three Heroes Zealot] roared out.

"F-Father Benedict!" A [Three Heroes Priest] stuttered out. "F-Forgive us! We've let intruders in-!"

"SAVE THE FORGIVENESS FOR GOD LATER!" The towering Father barked out as he drew his [Silver War-Cross] from his back. "RIGHT NOW, WE MUST PURGE THESE INFIDELS FROM THE HOUSE OF GOD!"

He swings his massive greatsword down onto the doors, splitting through the ice in one fell swoop.

"ONWARDS MY SONS!" He barked out as the door gave away. "TO THE LIGHT LIES VICTORY-!"

From the open doors, an _infernal music_ blares out.

**I'M AHEAD, I'M A MAN**

**I'M THE FIRST MAMMAL TO WEAR PANTS**

**I'M AT PEACE WITH MY LUST**

**I CAN KILL 'CAUSE IN GOD I TRUST**

The clergy then see the intruders waiting for them.

But now, _stronger_.

**IT'S EVOLUTION, BABY**

From the mist came forth a dark-hooded figure wielding a pair of [Katars], performing flips and kicks before thrusting out his right arm with a punch, throwing off its hood to reveal a set of wolf-ears on top of the boy's head.

**Garou**

**As the [Brawler]**

Another figure emerges from the mist, but this one was more feminine in appearance. She twirls her staff in a circle, creating snowflakes around her before slamming the staff's bottom, creating diorama of sharp and curved ice. From the blistering and icy winds blows off her hood, revealing a pair of snow-white fox ears, and the blown sleeves revealing a pair of silver gauntlets strapped to her hands.

**IT'S HERD BEHAVIOR**

**Fubuki**

**As the [Monk]**

But the most dreadful of all was to come.

A hooded figure in raven black with a floating tome chained to its right wrist, both being equally vile and evil as if the _Devil_ himself has come to greet them.

The figure then slams his right fist against his open left palm, repealing the mist around him, revealing an eyepatched face, and the grimoire with an eyeball at the center of its cover, but the rest of its metalic cover now being inscribed with demonic runes and its former-silver color was now _jet black_.

**IT'S EVOLUTION, BABY**

**Now featuring ****Nan Hon-Jah, as the [Tome Fallen]**

**With the [Forbidden Tome: Grimm the Heretic]**

**[AS TOTAL BADASSES]**

**Switching POV: 1st-Person**

"And the Chekhov's Gun fires..." I muttered towards the [War Cleric].

**Three Heroes Zealot, Father Benedict**

**His life for _Santa Yuusha _(Couldn't come up with anything better)**

... Really? A StarCraft reference? On top of gratuitous _Spanish_ and _Japanese_?

"Ugh, I'm already feeling nauseous." I groaned out. "And not because of me lingering in this place..."

The two demi-humans were now slowly becoming feral.

**"Nan, we can't take it anymore."** Garou growled out. **"We need to hurt _them_."**

"Who's stopping?" I stated. "But leave the big guy to me."

The demi-humans then proceed to barrel through the gathered church militia while ignoring the giant man in the center.

"Now then..." I then drop the annoyed tone and adopt a more, shall we say, sauve and light tone. "... Let's make this quick."

I then crack my knuckles.

**"Because we've wasted enough time here."**

I then form a giant [Dritte-Fireball] from my palm.

"YOU THINK MERE FIRE CAN STOP ME!?" The zealot roared out while forming his cross weapon entends out a sword-like blade from the elongated shaft of the cross. "A CANDLELIGHT TO MY FLAME OF SMITING!"

"Alright."

I then cancel my miniature sun.

"[Summon-Gas Balloon]."

The pus-covered ball then lands on my hand as the [Three Heroes Zealot] charges towards me with his [Silver War-Cross] in its sword-form.

I then toss the balloon towards his face.

The [Gas Balloon] chomps onto the boss's face right before it explodes into its [Noxious Gas].

With a massive thud, the [War Cleric] falls like a sack of bricks right in front of my feet, smelling like shit.

"You know what's the best part about running into human [Encounters]?" I asked the unconscious priest while unsheathing my [Sacrificial Dagger]. "Stats and levels matter not..."

I then turn the body over _face-up_.

"... When you have a knife inserted into your _throat_."

One plunge and a twist later, 50,000 EXP earned, along with a party-wide level up.

Moral of the story, the power of _rage_ will do all kinds of wonders in _this_ kind of world. And the fact that monologues tend to buy time for the opposite side (use said time to either reformulate plan or just land a dirty hit).

"F-Father Benedict!" One of the churchgoers cried out right before he gets his jaw split in two by _Fubuki's_ uppercut.

Granted, the [Light]-element gauntlets didn't kill him, but the fact that his jaw was broken in half (read, _vertically_), it's safe to assume that he wished that was the deathblow.

"Brother!" Fubuki cried out cheerfully. "I landed my first punch!"

"Good job." Garou unenthusiastically stated while backhanding a [Three Heroes Inquisitor]. "Hurry up and kill the rest already. I'm feeling _really_ upset today."

While heads and limbs were flying, I spot Byakko and Genbu looting off of dead bodies scattered throughout the the main chambers.

"You know..." I overheard Genbu while trying to pry off the [Silver Staff] from a dead man's hand with his [Silver Sword]. "I get the feeling that we're missing some context on why we're here in the first place."

"I'm fairly confident that we're doing fine." Byakko stated while collecting [Three Heroes Crucifixes] off of the dead bodies. "Not to mention, my previous master was also rather... _unpopular_ with other people."

"And I'm assuming that the laddie there has now passed the burden, I'm assuming?" Genbu asked.

"Unfortunately." The butler stated while looting off [Intermediate Health Potions x25] from the [Three Heroes Inquisitors]. "But, my new master seems to be taking it rather well... _uncouth_ as it may be."

The butler then ducks under a severed head flying over him to collect a [Holy Vestment] off of the floor.

"And that's the last one!" I shouted while casting [Chastise] onto the [Three Heroes Priest] that was trying to make a run for it.

I look around the whole main chambers littered with bodies.

"Alright everyone!" I stated while wiping blood and sweat off of my brows. "Now we probably should get the hell out-"

I hear something _scrunching_ behind me.

"... _Qu'est-ce que_ fuck?"

I then see the body of the [Three Heroes Zealot] _convulsing_, as if _D'vorah_ just _frenched_ it.

The body then begins to float up, as if it was _possessed_ by _something_.

An _arm of light_ bursts out of its rib.

"... I thought it was too easy." I remarked grimly.

Then the corpse explodes into a flash of light, revealing an armored silhouette with a pair of wings.

**Archangel**

**Start praying**

"... [Analyze]."

**Name: [Archangel]**

**Class: [Phantasmal Encounter]**

**Level: 45**

**Affinities: [Fire] & [Light]**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Item Drops: [Perfected Holy Water x20] (95%), [Sword of the Sacred Light] (50%), [Divine Rune of Vindication] (5%)**

**Attack: 45**

**Defense: 45**

**Agility: 245**

**Luck:45**

**HP: 300**

**MP: 300**

I gulped in _pants-shitting_ horror.

"... That is just not fair-"

... I _suddenly_ feel a few pounds _lighter_.

Particularly towards my _left_.

"... Nan?" I hear Fubuki _gasp_ out.

I then look towards my HP bar.

200 out of 395 HP.

I then look towards my left.

And found that I'm now an arm short.

My brain gets the message, and now my entire nervous system registers the pain.

By that, I mean that I'd prefer if my testicles were seared with an hot iron.

**"AHHH! AGHHH! FUCCKKK!"** I howled out as I saw the [Archangel] slowly approach me with its sword made out of _blue flames_.

Which explains why I'm not _bleeding_ to death. The sonofabitch's sword seared my wounds shut as the blade cleaved through my arm.

**"Hey kid, what now?"** The tome chained to my only arm stated urgently.

"RUN LIKE HELL!" I then summon [Roc] in panic.

... _Failing_ to take into account the size comparison between the bird and the building.

To wit: the B-52-sized eagle then explodes out of the whole Chapel while letting out a shrill cry throughout the _entirety_ of Melromarc.

**"So, the little hero decides to finally call upon this one... and to see him missing an entire arm."**

"JUST SHUT UP AND FLY BEFORE IT KILLS US ALL!" I roared out in panic as I saw [Archangel] emerging from the buried rubble before taking to the skies with its wings of light.

The [Roc] flies up into the night sky with the bloody bastard behind us.

Byakko then begins to throw his [Medic's Scalpels] towards the [Archangel].

The silver knives just bounce off of the [Archangel]'s crystalline-looking skin.

"Oi laddie..." I heard Genbu over my writhing cries of agony. "Ya holding fine?"

All I can do was breath out in pain.

"C'mon Nan." Garou pleaded. "Don't you go dying on us right now..."

"A-A-I'll b-be f-f-f-fine..." I heaved out in unbearable pain going cold. "But... what about... the-"

I hear the [Roc] screech in pain as the whole bird began to capsize towards the side.

And during the capsizing, I spot the [Archangel]'s sword planted on the bird's back.

Suddenly, a_ familiar_ feeling swept over my soul.

The same feeling where it was the first time where I lost a_ part_ of _myself_.

My panic turning into _adrenaline_.

My pain turning into _rage_.

And my huffs, heaves, tears, and fears, all _quickly_ turning into-

**"I AM GOING TO KILL YOUR ASS AND STUFF YOUR CORPSE WITH BALES OF COTTON!"**

With my remaining arm, I sling Grimm towards the [Archangel].

**"[Bite]!"**

Grimm's teeth then sink into the crystal contruct's forearms, forming cracks around it.

**"GRIMM!"** I roared out. **"GET ME CLOSER TO IT!"**

Without a word, the chained tome brings me closer to the struggling [Archangel].

**"NOW [Garrote]!"**

Grimm's chains then pivot and coil around its neck as me and Grimm mount the sonofabitch on its back.

**"YOU FOUR!"** I cried out in desperation as me and Grimm dragged the bound [Archangel] towards the edge. **"HEAD TO THE CASTLE AT THE MIDDLE OF THIS TOWN! GET IN AND ROB THE PLACE BARE!"**

"You mean the castle that we're directly above at!?" Byakko cried out.

**"THEN JUMP!"**

I then spring my legs off of [Roc]'s back with the[Archangel] in tow, hoping to God above that I don't die from fall damage.

... I then down an entire bottle of [Intermediate Health Potion] on my way down, just in case.

**Switching POV: Naofumi**

It was one misfortune after another.

First, he and Raphtalia were woefully underleveled and undermanned compared to the rest of the other heroes's parties.

Then, during the [Wave], he learns that his deeds of saving people were not only discredited, but also being actively undermined by the devil of a woman (who he discovered that Myne was Malty Melromarc, the King's blood-daughter).

And now, he and Raphtalia's camaraderie were now on the verge of being severed all because of that _whore princess_ lights a fire under that idiot's Motoyasu's ass.

And the only way that the two can worm their way out of this jam was for him to accept the crown-sanctioned duel between the Spear Hero and himself.

Naofumi grits his teeth in frustration.

"Fine..." He growled out. "I accept-"

Before he can finish, the roof over their heads collapses, bringing something crashing down.

An explosion of dust is kicked up from the impact, and from it, emitted a _malignant_ presence.

The dust clears, revealing a figure cloaked in black, stepping atop of a fallen angel-like creature.

It looked though as if the Devil had just slain the angel.

From the figure's right hand emerged a familiar-looking arm.

A metal wristband with a rectangular book chained to it.

_"No way..."_ Naofumi thought. _"It couldn't be-"_

The hand then proceeds to beat down the angel with the rim of the metal tone, cracking its head over the frame with each consecutive strike.

The figure then opens the tome, and casts a spell that absorbs the fallen angel-like creature into the book's pages.

The figure then takes off its hood, revealing Nan, now _missing_ an eye as evidenced by the eyepatch barely hiding his _massive_ ocular scar on his face.

"Yo." Nan greeted as he heads towards the nearest table of food. "... I'm suspecting that something has happened during my absence?"

All the guards stationed in the room then gather towards Nan, weapons drawn.

"Ugh..." Nan groaned while snatching a whole roast duck from the plate. "... You know, today was a pretty shitty day for me."

An arrow pierces through the roasted fowl and pins itself towards the marble pillar next to Naofumi.

"Sup Itsuki." Nan waved towards the crowd. "How're the 1st-degree burns treatin' ya?"

From the crowd, begins shooting his arrows in a volley towards Nan.

"[Dritte-Smite]."

A massive ball of [Light] magic shoots out of Nan's right open palm, which it then burns through all of the arrows shot towards Nan's direction.

"Gonna have to try harder, brah." Nan remarked while taking a bite out of a pear.

"[Flame Arrow]!" An arrow of fire is then shot towards Nan, with the soldiers around Nan clearing the way.

"[Elemental Eater]."

Nan's tome then opens up its pages, with the book itself eating the [Fire Arrow] like if it was food.

Naofumi notices that the book chained to Nan had _teeth_ and a monoeye where the orb was.

_"Is it alive!?"_ Naofumi thought while preparing his [Legendary Shield] as a precaution.

The [Tome Hero] lets out a disappointed sigh.

"You know..." Nan remarked while taking another bite out of his pear. "... From all those encounters with me for the past two weeks, I thought you've might've learned something."

The tome around his wrist then begins to float around him on its own.

"Grimm."

The tome then reveals its fangs and monoeye for all to see.

**"Talk to me."** The book spoke out.

The whole crowd then begins to murmur in horror as they've witnessed a legendary weapon having free will.

_"I knew it."_ Naofumi thought. _"It was alive."_

"Bring Mr. [Bow Hero] closer to me." Nan requested. "Methinks he didn't hear what I said."

The chained tome then lashes out towards Itsuki, clamping his ankle like a bear trap and reeling him in like a fish.

The [Tome Hero] then jump-stomps onto Itsuki, right before he locks him into a camel-clutch with his right arm.

"So, tell me." Nan stated in a _disturbingly_ calm tone, which was unsettling enough to make everyone freeze in place. "Why do you go out of your way to harass me when you have a better chance of provoking an entire dukedom into a civil war and go out alive?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Itsuki, even with a trembling voice, stated. "It's because... it's because I'm a _hero_."

Nan only smiles, with Naofumi well-knowing that it's _fake_.

"Adorable."

Nan then tugs Itsuki's spine towards himself, applied with a _sickening_ crunch coming from the [Bow Hero]'s _spine_.

Itsuki cries out in pain as Nan releases him from his grip, leaving the hero in an undignified heap.

"BASTARD!" Motoyasu then charges towards him. "[Chaos Spear]!"

"[Nil-Coating]."

A monochrome veil covers the [Tome Hero], causing the thrusts to bounce back, and send him flying back towards Naofumi's direction.

"[Air-Strike Shield]!"

An emerald shield made of wind blocks Naofumi from the _Motoyasu-missile_, making the [Spear Hero] look like a bird that faceplanted itself onto a window.

"... Any takers?" Nan called out after tossing a pear core behind him.

"Guards, dispose of him immediately!" The trash King ordered.

The soldiers present (including the ones restraining Raphtalia), all surround Nan with their arms pointed towards him and the floating tome.

"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia runs towards him.

"Damn animal, stay where you are-"

Malty is then cut off with the raccoon-girl shoving her out of her way.

"Get behind me, Raphtalia." He order with his shield ready.

The guards, even outnumbering him, refused to move.

"WHAT'S TAKING SO LONG!?" The King roared out. "HURRY UP AND EXECUTE HIM ALREADY!"

No one moves a muscle.

At the epicenter, Naofumi hears Nan _cackling_.

"Keh keh keh..." Nan corpsed out.

"What's so funny, demon?" The King spoke out.

Nan then _burst_ out laughing, with whatever composure that he had left thrown out of the window.

The [Tome Hero] eventually calms his breathing as his laughter ceased.

"I-I'm sorry." Nan winced out. "I-It's just that... are you even... listening to yourself?"

Nan then takes a step forward towards the King, which then prompts the guards to move _back_.

"W-WHAT'S GOING ON!?" The King roared out. "WHY'S NO ONE STANDING THEIR GROUND!?"

"Simple really." Nan retorted. "They know. They know that if they so much as take a step forward towards _my_ direction..."

A [Chimera] pops out of the tome's pages, sending the guards reeling back _further_.

"... Then they know that they become nothing short of _animal feed_." Nan hissed out.

"A-Aren't you supposed to be a hero!?" Malty cried out. "You're supposed to kill monsters, not ally with them!"

"Okay, princess." Nan stated. "Three things you need to know."

Nan then jumps towards her direction while leaping over the encirclement of guards surrounding him.

Before she can do anything, Nan draws out a dagger and plants it into a wall behind her, grazing her cheek.

Naofumi then notices _genuine fear_ in _her_ eyes.

"One, I was never on your side." Nan stated. "You and your fucking institution just had to go and whisk me away into this hellhole while I was taking a piss, and frankly sweetie, no one likes that."

Naofumi then notices the pillar behind her legs looking suspiciously wet.

"Two." Nan continued. "Your daddy was ballsy enough to issue a 'kill-on-sight' order on my head from the moment I stepped out of the castle doors, all because I wasn't the part of some grander scheme to ruin the Shield Hero that you and your damn country happens to irrationally despise, cultural reasons not withstanding, but that's all that there's to it, a mere _cult-mentality_."

Deep inside Naofumi, a certain feeling of _satisfaction_ burned inside of him.

"And finally, three." Nan continued. "Who said I called myself a hero?"

"Then you're a demon then." The King spat out in disgust. "I've should've killed you from the moment you've arrived in this world."

"Peanut gallery, shut the fuck up."

The chained tome then fires a ball of fire towards the King, causing to explode behind him, shutting him.

"Now where was I..." Nan wondered. "... Oh right!"

He then presses his temple against Malty's, pinning her against the pillar.

"Like I said, I'm no hero. But neither I am a villain." Nan claimed.

"Then what are you, vermin?" Malty spat out with whatever bravado she had left.

Nan grins.

"Just a badass."

Nan then drives his right fist into her solar plexus, knocking her out cold.

"MYNE!" Motoyasu cried out. "BASTARD-"

Nan then throw the metal tome onto the [Spear Hero]'s face, knocking him out cold, and with his HP bar starting to hit the red.

"You know, Motoyasu..." Nan stated right before pouncing onto his laid body. "Sometimes, your stupidity was adorable in some areas, but even then, there's always a limit before said amusement gets stale."

Before Motoyasu can do anything, Nan slams his tome over his head.

"Oh and by the way..." Nan continued. "How many cans of tomato paste you had to crack open to get that stink off of ya?"

Naofumi then sniffs the air around him, picking up a slight scent of rotting fish around him.

"Welp..." Nan stated. "... Not that I give a crap."

Nan then begins to beat Motoyasu's head with his tome, as if he was beating his head open with a _brick_.

The beating continues as Naofumi and Raphtalia watch in horror (along with everyone else), as this act of brutality was being shown without restraint, the other heroes watching Motoyasu's HP bar edge closer towards hitting _zero_.

With 1 HP remaining, Nan stops, picking something off of Motoyasu's head and putting it away in his tome.

"... What?" Nan spoke out to the crowd. "Show's over, people. Get the hell out unless you're willing to be part of the encore, if you catch my drift."

"I have to ask you something."

Naofumi then sees Ren approach Nan without fear.

"Fire away." Nan stated.

"Why do you go out of your way to antagonize other people when you're held to a higher standard?" Ren asked Nan. "You say you're neither a hero or a villain, but your actions seem to lean towards the evil end, so why?"

"It's simple really." Nan replied. "I just merely took the initiative, that's all."

"So you had to kill countless people out of paranoia." Ren snarled out.

"Hey buddy, try thinking that when the King himself want your head on a pike from the moment you set foot here." Nan then looks towards Naofumi. "You get what I mean, right Nao-buddy!?"

A sharp feeling was felt in Naofumi's very soul.

Nan, derragned, psychotic, and bloodthirsty as he was, were one of the few people that actually made a lick of sense around here. Because Naofumi knows. Underneath that mask of madness, was a sound and insightful mind that was pushed towards insanity.

Just like _him_.

"Oh, by the way, you two?" Nan spoke towards both Naofumi and Raphtalia. "Oh, and can't forget to mention everyone else in the room..."

A massive orb of fire is formed over his open right palm.

**"I recommend running."**

"RAPHTALIA!"

"YES, MASTER!"

The two then get close to each other as possible.

"[Shield Prison]!"

The two then are encased in a ball made of steel shields and chain.

_**"[Dritte-Fireball]."**_

Then the temperature inside the encasing skyrocket as rays of light shine through the gaps, turning their whole protection into a _microwave_.

"Raphtalia! Hang in there!" Naofumi heaved out over the heat outside.

The heat then eventually subsides, along with the light outside fading.

Then something grabs onto the encasement.

"Master!" Raphtalia cried out. "Something grabbed onto us!"

_"Don't worry."_ Nan's voice was heard through the encasement. _"I'm just taking you two as hostage."_

"AND WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH US!?" Naofumi yelled out in rage.

_"Just want to talk, buddy."_ Nan replied. _"Hey hey hey! Careful with that!"_

Then the [Shield Prison] that were in were being rolled around towards somewhere.

_"Sorry about the bumpy ride."_ Nan spoke through the casing. _"Don't know how to move spherical objects other then rolling."_

Then the rolling stops.

_"Oh and on a sidenote, no one in castle actually died from my little lightshow. Just burned that place to the ground after my whole party cleared out all of its shit."_

... Much to Naofumi's ire, he can't tell if he should be relieved or frustrated at the message.

_"Alright!"_ Nan's voice cried out. _"Next stop, the sucky outdoors!"_

**Switching POV: 1st-Person**

Me, my whole party, the [Summons], and our two special guests all [Teleport-Beacon] towards the [Intersection-Melromarc].

... Look, even with his status as main character, even I can't afford to open that Pandora's Box just yet. Plus, I pretty much _kneecapped_ the Melromarc's [Royal Guards] and the Three Heroes Church's personal militia of inquisitors.

For now, at least.

"Alright." I spoke out while knocking on the [Shield Prison]'s surface (yes, I also learned that Skill just now). "You can come out now."

The encasement unravels itself, revealing Naofumi in all of his pissed-off glory, and Raphtalia, whom I think I've might've traumatized for life.

... I'll apologize later.

"Yo." I spoke out. "... How're you two doin-"

As expected (or possibly not; I'm getting cocky), I get_ decked_ in the face by the man himself.

"... Yeah, kinda deserved that." I spoke out.

**Naofumi**

**Needs a hug and 72-hour therapy session (Neither exists; God help him)**

"Give me one good reason on why I shouldn't end you here and now." Naofumi snarled out.

"Simple, really..." I mumbled while getting back up. "Look around you."

I then present the two of them, my "family".

Aka; uber-leveled party members and [Summons].

"... Don't make me hurt you, Naofumi." I begged. "I know that compared to the other three, you know what's going on here, and I need all of you alive, but at the same time, _cooperative_."

"With what with you burning down an entire castle?" Naofumi retorted. "Why should I trust someone who's has gone off the deep end?"

"Because I know you have that letter." I replied. "... You still have it, right?"

I then see the wrinkled paper with the wax thumbprint on it.

"Good." I then take the paper and burn it. "All you, patrol the area and make sure no one's eavesdropping, got it?"

I then let out a whistle, sending my smaller [Summons] out for patrol, with [Perfected Homunculus] acting as my decoy, and the other [Summons] being recalled.

"Now we can talk." I stated while sitting down. "First and foremost."

I then bow my head down.

"I am so sorry for what I had to do." I apologized. "I could've easily taken you with me and tell you that you were about to get screwed from day 1."

"Wait, you knew!?"

He then lifts me up by the collar and winds his fist back.

Granted, his punches were barely scratching my HP bar, but they still hurt like hell.

"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia held back his arm. "Please calm yourself!"

"Oh, and I was thinking of buying Raphtalia, but I also arranged her to be sold to you _specifically_, even paid half of the billing myself."

"Actually, you know what, Master Naofumi." The raccoon-girl's tone goes 180. "Let _me_ hit him."

**Raphtalia**

**Age of consent: not yet reached (Still around 12, you sick fucks)**

The two of them hit my face together, sending me flying.

"... Yeah, I've also earned that too." I remarked while casting [High-Healing] on my bloodied nose. "Second, I now need to tell you what I know of this world during my time here."

"Really now." Naofumi got back down after letting his rage out upon my face. "Surprise me."

Time to break out my power known as 'Prior Knowledge".

... I'm just going to skip over the exposition dump because, frankly, it's going to take too long for me to explain everything, so here's the short version.

Manga chapter 1-to-somewhere-around-20.

Hey, spoilers.

"... Just who are you?" Naofumi asked in disbelief.

"Hm?" I hummed out. "Just someone who just wanted to take a piss before setting my ass here."

I then let out a short burst of laughter before continuing.

"And finally..." I stated. "My intentions in this world are quite... shall we say, _complex_."

"In what regard?" Naofumi asked in his usual grumpy tone.

"Look." I went on. "I have enough firepower to essentially burn the entire castle town down there to the fucking ground if I wanted. But suffice to say, as much as I hate the three stooges and the institution that supports them, which I also want to rip their fucking gullets out of their throats and feed them to my [Summons]... I need all of them _alive_ in order for my plans to work."

"And what is your so-called plan?" Naofumi asked.

"Sorry, can't." I stated. "Friends gotta keep some secrets to each other, now can they?" I winked.

"Just who says we're friends?" Naofumi stated.

"Eh, worth a shot." I remarked.

A stray gust of wind blows by and reveals my missing left arm.

Both Raphtalia and Naofumi looked at it with shock.

"Oh, like what you're seeing?" I teased. "Yeah, lost it a few hours ago after tangling with an [Archangel] before subverting it to my side."

I then extend my [Bandit's Silver Thumb] as it bends in both ways.

"My first prosthetic, by the way." I stated while tucking it back in. "So regardless, I need you to trust me."

"... Fine." Naofumi reluctantly caved in. "Now what?"

... Sorry dude.

"This."

***Shuck***

**Switching POV: Naofumi**

Below his chest, Naofumi felt something pierce his flesh.

Below him, he sees a demonic-looking _knife_ plunged into his stomach.

Then from the blade, he feels a rush of energy flowing through him.

His repressed rage, his honed indignation, and above all else...

... His curse against his own powerlessness.

**"[Invoke]."**

Numerous shocks then run through his veins, as if Nan was trying to unlock something within him.

Suddenly, he sees something in his eyes.

A _message_.

A message from his_ own_ _wailing soul_.

**Do you hate this world?**

**Do you hate the people?**

**Do you hate your own weakness?**

**[Yes]**

**[Yes]**

It wasn't even an answer.

**[Yes]**

Then _another_ text shows up in his sight.

**Do you wish for power?**

**Do you wish to see the world burn?**

**[Yes]**

**[Yes]**

**...**

**[Yes]**

A message appears before him as his own negativity begins to overwhelm his very senses.

**[Cursed Series] unlocked.**

**[Wrath Shield 1] acquired.**

**[Envy Shield 1] acquired.**

**[Greed Shield 1] acquired.**

**[Gluttony Shield 1] acquired.**

**[Lust Shield 1] acquired.**

**[Pride Shield 1] acquired.**

**[Despair Shield 3] acquired.**

The knife is then pulled out from his stomach.

He touches his stomach, realizing that his wound was gone, and about _half_ of his negative feelings were doused.

"... Phew." Nan breathed out. "... Experiment complete with zero losses."

"What did you do to Master!?" Raphtalia growled out, her tail stiffened out, and her hand grasping onto her [Iron Longsword].

"Just gave him an anal-fuck-start to his very soul." Nan stated. "... You want one?"

The raccoon-girl shakes her head sideways.

"Alright, later it is." Nan stated. "As for you, Naofumi... here."

Nan then tosses a [Broken Poison Crossbow] towards his [Legendary Shield].

"[Ballista Shield] acquired." The message read.

He then activates it, and his shield turns into a miniature-_weapon platform_.

He then reads the skill, which is called [Deploy: Poison Crossbow-Auto].

The exact same mounted weapon is then placed onto the earth next to him, with a small HP bar above it.

"Fun fact." Nan sated. "Broken weapons count as items rather than actual weapons." He stated. "So for example..."

Nan then takes out a [Silver Sword] from the pages of his sentient tome, and breaks it in half with his knee.

"Here." Nan then hands him the [Broken Silver Sword] to Naofumi. "Try adding to your shield."

He does the following, and acquires the [Silver Edge Shield].

Upon activation, the shield transforms into a round shield with its circumference being like a sword's edge.

"Skill... [Slash Counter]." Naofumi stated.

"Congrats." Nan stated. "You now have a discus that can potentially behead someone."

"So... in other words..." Nan stuttered out. "Look out for broken weapons and other shields, for you to copy."

"Wait, what?" Naofumi spoke out in confusion over that sudden addendum.

"Oh yeah, like the other heroes, you can copy the same weapon type with your Shield, so yeah... keep an eye out."

Next to him, an albino butler appears before him.

"Master, I suggest running." The albino stated.

"Alright then." Nan nodded. "Oh and P.S., tell the slave trader that I said hi."

Nan then clicks on a smaller-scaled [Dragon's Hourglass] and teleports elsewhere.

"... Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked.

"Let's beat it."

The two then run into the forest for the night.

**Switching POV: 1st-Person**

The six of us then land our asses onto the [Archive].

"... So that sucked." I spoke out. "The whole garbage took longer than I thought, and we really didn't get much as we wanted."

"Aside from possible wanton destruction, master?" Byakko stated.

"No." I stated. "Because I just thought of something that I didn't do."

"Which is what, laddie?" Genbu spoke out while taking a swig from the stolen barrel of wine.

"That I didn't give the Archbishop the world's most brutal wedgie."

Okay, I'm kind of lying, but the real reason for my melancholy was this:

"[Fallen Hero] Title earned." My HUD messaged.

**[Fallen Hero]**

**"You either die as a hero, or live long enough to become a villain."**

**Sets user alignment to [Neutral Evil] upon equipping**

**Grants 25% bonus to all stats if the user's current class is [ -Fallen]**

So yeah...

Gone past the point of now return. But then again, that's not much in a world like, well...

... Like _Melromarc_.

"Nan, I'm heading to bed." Garou yawned out.

"Don't forget to brush your teeth." I spoke out.

I then feel the stump where my left arm was.

"... Shit." I cursed.

Another part of my humanity bites the dust.

... Fuck it.

If the whole world _wants_ a bunch of those wannabes as heroes...

"[Fallen Hero] title equipped."

... Then I'll become the villain that this world _needs_.

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Genbu's gimmick: uber-powerful skills with ludicrously huge cooldowns after per use.

[Silver Pocketwatch]: Unnamed skill that lets him stop time around him for a full minute with a week-long cooldown.

[Fafnir's Flametongue]: Skill [Soulburner]: Deals lethal [Fire] damage to all [Organic] and [Spiritual] targets. Does no damage to [Inorganic] targets.

\- Fun Fact: The [Soulburner] Skill is referencing to Fafnir's dragon-hoarding tendencies. After all, dead men and lost souls are no use to the dragon, so what's wrong for him to have a move that steal nickels off of dead man's eyes while disposing the rest with ease?

Also, [Encounters] come in three categories:

[Organic]: humans, animals, plants, anything that has meat on its bones, or needs oxygen and sustenance in order to function.

[Inorganic]: golems, skeletons, automotions, anything that is classified as "constructs" or manmade.

[Spiritual]: ghosts, spirits, anything intangible or impossible to grasp or comprehend.

And also, regarding [Class Upgrades]:

Four possible [Classes] to promote from:

[Fighter]: Melee and physical-focused, high defense, low speed

[Mage]: Range and magical-focused, high attack, low defense

[Rouge]: Multi-range and speed focused, high speed, low attack

[Hero]: Jack-of-all-trades, no real strengths and no weaknesses until promotion

* * *

**Stat Updates:**

* * *

**Name: [Fallen Hero], [Nan Hon-Jah]**

**Class: [Tome Fallen]**

**Level: 41**

**Affinities****: [All Eight Elements]**

**Alignment****: Neutral Evil**

**Equipment: [Forbidden Tome, Grimm the Heretic], [Iron Rune], [Magus Robes], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Portable Dragon's Hourglass]**

**Attack: 56 (+30)**

**Defense: 52 (+20)**

**Agility: 52 (+15)**

**Luck: 54 (-10)**

**HP: 440 (+55)**

**MP: 550 (+110)**

* * *

**Name: [Garou]**

**Class: [Slave Brawler]**

**Level: 41**

**Affinities****: [Dark]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment****: [Assassin's Leather Armor], [Nightshroud], [Blade Gauntlets****], [Primal Claws], [Katars]**

**Attack: 49 (+50)**

**Defense: 38 (-20)**

**Agility: 44 (+65)**

**Luck: 31 (+20)**

**HP: 465 (-20)**

**MP: 185 (-100)**

* * *

**Name: [Fubuki]**

**Class: [Slave Monk]**

**Level: 41**

**Affinities****: [Ice]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment****: [Twilight Gunstaff], [Darkbane Gauntlets], [Twilight Cloak], [Twilight Hunter's Hood], [Mana Medallion]**

**Attack: 45 (+45)**

**Defense: 35 (+30)**

**Agility: 41 (+25)**

**Luck: 35 (+20)**

**HP: 330 (-50)**

**MP: 525 (+150)**

* * *

**Name: [Byakko]**

**Class: [Cleric]**

**Level: 36**

**Affinities****: [Fire], [Lightning], [Light]**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Equipment: [Medic's Scalpels], [Faithful Suit], [Blessed Silver Chainmail], [Basic Medical Aid Utility Belt]**

**Attack: 38 (+5)**

**Defense: 33 (+5)**

**Agility: 42 (+15)**

**Luck: 33 (+5)**

**HP: 340 (+50)**

**MP: 340 (+50)**

* * *

**Name: [Genbu]**

**Class: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Affinities****: None**

**Alignment: ?**

**Equipment: [Wayward Nomad's Garbs], [Silver Pocket Watch & Chain] (also referred to as [Silver Pocketwatch]), [Silver Sword], [Fafnir's Flametongue]**

**Attack: ?**

**Defense: ?**

**Agility: ?**

**Luck: 9,999**

**HP: ?**

**MP: ?**

* * *

Also, from now on, this will be my (potential) fic-priority list (1: high; 4: low):

1) Chronicles of the Wayward Tome Hero

2) Apocrypha

3) Nerve Damage Season 2: Sensory Overload

4) Gotterdammerung

Regardless, I need time, and pray that my own overzealous sense of creative drive doesn't eat me alive.

Still, what you guys think of this Epic?

Leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience is thinking!


	12. Epic 12: The Wayside

**_Continuing self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_Finger Count: 5/10_**

**_Eye Count: 1/2_**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

_**Chapter 12: The Wayside**_

* * *

**Switching POV: Grimm, The Heretic **

_Crackling._

_Like the sounds hail raining down on sheets of iron._

_Hot._

_Like the feeling of a midsummer afternoon's sun._

_Burning._

_He opens his eyes to see the whole world on fire._

_People._

_Around him were people-like figures tied to poles._

_Flailing._

_Screaming._

_Dying._

_Slowly._

_Painfully._

_Absolutely._

_The only thing he can hear was the following sentence;_

**I**

**T**

**B**

**U**

**R**

**N**

**S**

_Grimm tries to scream, but nothing comes out._

_He tries to look around himself._

_Only to realize he was looking up._

_Around him, were nothing but feet._

_He tries to move, but can't._

_He doesn't know how._

_For there was nothing for him move around with anymore._

**Switching POV: Byakko**

Again, the albino butler was up late while the others were fast asleep.

Typing in the password in the central nexus, he goes over the recorded files once more.

He clicks on the file labeled [The Cursed Series].

**[The Cursed Series]**

**Okay, during my extensive research on lore regarding the [Four Cardinal Heroes], the [Seven Star Heroes], and the [Lost Heroes], this subject regarding the hidden powers of these heroes have been the most fruitful in terms of results.**

**First and foremost, contrary to popular belief, the [Cursed Series] isn't unlocked when the hero goes through great lengths of psychological stress.**

**Rather, all attributes relating to the [Seven Deadly Sins] are there to begin with, it's just that said psychological stress works like a "trigger", rather than a "catalyst".**

**How ever, each person can specialize in one sin while the other sins are stuck at base, or somewhere in between (Like for example, someone could have a high affinity in [Wrath] but all other sins, while present, aren't as powerful).**

**The former requires something to be there in the first place to be acquired (i.e., my theory regarding on that all heroes have access to the [Seven Deadly Sins] in the first place, further details will be covered later), while the latter can best be summed up as a huge case of _Deus Ex Machina_.**

**Whoever's running this shitshow is going to have hell to pay for this kind of shoddy writing.**

**Second, also debunking just the whole [Seven Deadly Sin] conundrum, an eighth sin can also exist, but circumstances around it are rather, to put it mildly, simple.**

**It's a literal toss of a coin whether you end up with [Vanity], or [Despair] as the hero's eighth.**

**[Vanity] is achieved through basically the "heroic resolve" trope going down to the point of insanity.**

**[Despair] is basically when the whole "heroic resolve" is completely flushed down the toilet.**

**The former is formed on delusion while the latter is basically when the hero has nothing left to lose.**

**Process can either be slow or quick, but the hero only needs to pass that threshold once in order to keep that power.**

**And finally, regarding the effects of the [Cursed Series].**

**The whole reason for their crippling activation costs an easily be summarized as "power at a price", but the truth of the matter is more complex than initial observations may imply.**

**For one, it is entirely possible to nix the whole cost with enough discipline and training, or just equip equipment that grants all kinds of elemental immunity (I currently have the [Spectrum Veil], [Holy Aurora Medallion], [Prism Circlet], and [Phantasmal Tome, #$# $% the Inexorable] equipped).**

**For example, I was able to use [Envy Pond] without getting frostbite with and without my equipment on, with the latter achieved by me mediating on top of a moving glacier nude for a whole month.**

**Physical proof?**

**Look for a [Dungeon] named [Fimbulvetr Chasm, Niflheim]. I made that shit with the repeated use of my [Envy Pond] (Important, make sure you're at least level 150 before entering, unless you wish to join the [Lich] army that I've made as a permanent hire).**

**Well, that's all that there's to it.**

**This is the [Tome Hero], signing off.**

The recording ends.

"So master Nan has an item that can act as a trigger to the [Seven Deadly Sins] within all heroes..." Byakko surmised. "... But what about that moment when that [Three Heroes Zealot] transformed into an [Archangel] after he stabbed him... with the _dagger_."

He then makes a quick mental note.

**All non-heroes inflicted by the skill [Invoke] from the [Sacrificial Dagger] will transform into an [Encounter] post-mortem.**

Byakko then looks at a footnote underneath the [About the Cursed Series] recording.

**Side note: turns out that [Envy Pond] wasn't a pond.**

**But rather a complete control over liquid nitrogen enough to solve Earth's global warming overnight.**

**Hypothesis: [Cursed Series] skills can be whatever the user chooses it to be.**

**Do not let the constraints of the weapon limit you.**

**Use your imagination, get creative, break the rules.**

**Freedom from the status quo, beyond it lies true power.**

Byakko leans back onto the chair and looks up at the dark ceiling, contemplating his previous master's words.

"Can such power be achieved?" Byakko asked himself. "And if so, what are the costs of achieving such lofty heights? How long will it be until my current master completely loses himself?"

First the thumb, then an eye, and just recently, an arm.

"As butler, it's my utmost duty to make sure my master is well tended to..." Byakko reminded himself of his position. "... But even then, my master seems to shield himself from us, as if he's like the older sibling."

Aside from contemplating on his current master's possible sense of martyrdom, a certain file label catches the corner of his eye.

"... [About the Lost Heroes, Part 2]?"

He then clicks on it and plays the recording.

**[About the Lost Heroes, Part 2]**

**Okay, something smells fishy.**

**As I've read through the records of the [Lost Heroes], in which I've learned much of through my ****research, a rather disturbing notion was unearthed.**

**Mainly the fact that the records of the [Lost Heroes] suddenly... disappeared.**

**No records of their disbandment, no records of their fall from grace, hell, no records of their possible purge.**

**... As if someone was trying to erase them from history.**

**If my third theory is somehow correct, then I fear the worst has come true.**

**For the past decade, all sorts of "people of interest" ([Mercenaries], [Royal Guards (Melromarc)], [Royal Sentinels (Siltvelt)], [Royal Knights (Faubley)], and anyone who's armed), have been after my head for no apparent reasons other than the fact that I'm the [Tome Hero].**

** I tried interrogation, torture, brainwashing, hypnosis, mind-reading, bribing, but no dice.**

**Its as if the world itself, from all countries and all races are after me like if I'm some sort of wicked god.**

**It may also explain why the [Dagger], [Staff], [Musket], and [Mace] heroes have all but flat-out disappeared from history.**

**Then I shall as well.**

**I have too much to lose with all the things I have accomplished, too much classified knowledge that shouldn't fall into the wrong hands, and above all else.**

**I fear for my life because I don't want to stop learning of this world, and why it's so cruel in the first place.**

**I still want to know why the [Waves] exist, or my developing theories of parallel worlds with heroes like this one.**

**And finally, one last thing before I end this.**

**If my successor reaches at least level 80, then Darnic, or nee-Darnic, I want you to show him or her all of the Nexus Records.**

**My successor must know.**

**For he or she is the only one that can solve this enigma.**

**Because I believe.**

**That this person can enlighten the darkened and blinded of this world.**

**Good luck.**

Byakko brushes his hair above his head with his hands.

"... I won't fail." Byakko vowed. "I will make sure that history will not be distorted by those who dare wrong my master and his family. That, I shall abide."

After resolving himself, Byakko heads to the bio-garden and chicken coop to tend to them for tomorrow's breakfast.

**Switching POV: Garou and Fubuki**

The two siblings slowly wake up from their hammocks upon smelling chicken being cooked from the kitchen.

The wolf-teen slings himself out of his rope-cot, and as he set his feet down, he steps on something slithering and leathery.

"Oh..." Garou remarked. "Forgot that the two of you were sleeping there..."

He them walks alongside Fubuki towards the salt room to brush their teeth.

The two walk into the kitchen, and see two plates of chicken and eggs on the dining table.

"Fret not." Byakko stated. "No salt or tomatoes, just meat and eggs."

The two begin to eat their fill.

Then than two hear agonized screaming coming from their room.

The two then dash off, and find Nan rolling on the floor, holding onto his stump where his left arm used to be.

"What happened!?" Garou asked in a concerned tone.

"Landed..." Nan groaned out. "... On my stump."

Tears were streaming down his eyes with his awareness.

"Here..." Fubuki then picks up Nan over her shoulder.

"... Thanks." Nan winced out in pain.

Grimm then slowly floats up from his chains.

**"Hey kiddos."** Grimm greeted. **"He holding out alright?"**

"... Been better." Nan answered.

"Master Nan." Byakko called out. "Perhaps a break is an order."

"... No complaints." Nan answered. "But... I have a few conditions."

"As long as it doesn't involve major physical activity, then I'll albide." Byakko stated.

"Let me keep surveillance over the outside." Nan stated. "I need to keep an eye on the heroes's movements."

"Understood."

Nan then hands the butler the [Portable Dragon's Hourglass] and the butler placed it on the Nexus, which then show multiple screens of various parts around Melromarc and surrounding areas.

"So the castle that I set ablaze is somehow still standing... the [Three Heroes] are having their third-degree burns treated... Archbishop and Pope are holding service for the dead churchgoers/complete a-holes... and Naofumi and Raphtalia are trekking across the wilderness and sneaking back into the smithery without being detected with those obvious-looking cloaks... but then again, my whole party killed about the majority of the [Royal Guards] for EXP... annnnnnnd just as planned, Naofumi is heading into the circus tent of wonder and joy and gets the egg... labeled [Filo]..."

The two then see Nan kick his feet up at the Nexus while sitting down on the chair.

"Everything is going according to plan..." Nan chuckled. "... By the way Byakko, I would like tomatoes and beans cooked over a hot skillet. No meat, gonna go vegan."

"Understood."

As the butler walks off, the twins look at each other with concern.

"... Call me crazy." Garou stated. "But I think Nan is going crazy..."

"Are we in any place to judge?" Fubuki pointed out. "He's crazy, sure, but he's the one keeping us alive in the first place."

"I know." Garou replied. "What I don't get is how is he playing the whole kingdoms to his fingertips..."

"I know." Fubuki replied. "But his motives... I think its for the best if we support him."

"And why exactly?" Garou asked. "Sure, I trust him, but I rather not trust him blindly."

"Simple actually."

The two then look up to see Nan facing them.

"Allow me to ask; what do you make this whole world that you were born into?"

The two look at each other for answers, but neither can come up with an answer.

"I'll tell you what I saw." Nan said. "I see corruption, greed, bigotry, and anything that would make a representative of the free world like me _vomit_."

He then holds up Grimm.

"This right here?" Nan went on. "It's no longer just a weapon of legend or an opportunity to change this world for the better. No, this, is a legacy. A legacy built up by someone who wanted to change this world, but the world itself didn't want, and that's the issue. These people prefer the 'want' rather then the 'need'."

The two then start to piece together the actions of Nan together, slowly coming up with a conclusion.

"And that's what we will provide." Nan stated. "We will drag this world out of its sense of self-entitlement, dragging them by their heels, kicking and screaming into the future that this world desperately needs."

The two then start to make sense of Nan's actions up so far.

"If I've simply haven't devated, then it wouldn't be just the fact that I wouldn't have saved you two." Nan stated. "What I'm saying?"

Nan then leans down with a glowering expression.

"The people of this world will destroy themselves before the [Waves] can." Nan concluded.

"Master!" Byakko comes in with a dish that looked liked the _devil_ to the two carnivore demi-humans. "Your tomatoes and beans on a hot skillet."

"Yay!" Nan then quickly shifts into a childlike demeanor as he scooped up the beans and tomatoes with his spoon.

The two demi-humans now look at each other with absolute clarity.

"So what about the people we've killed so far?" Fubuki asked.

"Who gives a shit?" Garou replied coldly. "They tried to kill us first, so we killed them back."

The two unanimously agree on this ice-cold logic.

From the moment that they left their bar-surrounded cradle, they've only learned one thing.

**In this world, it's _kill_ or be _killed_.**

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

So... day 1 minus one arm.

... I'm not going to get used to this, but somehow, subconsciously, I'm getting used to this shit.

Oh, and the little lecture I did?

I meant it.

I'm a free world advocate, and as soon as I find the slave trader, I'm going to learn how the [Branding] works.

As for my [Sacrificial Dagger]?

... I sort of come to the conclusion that it either unlocks hidden power, or turns people into monsters post-mortem.

It's a win-win, either way.

**"So kid..."** Grimm asked. **"You doing alright?"**

"Could've been better, but hey."

I put down my spoon and point towards my right eyepatch.

**"... Ah. So the threshold has been passed."** Grimm remarked.

I then see Seiryu come out of the room with Suzaku perched on top of the Tyrera's head.

And even with around level 25, the Filolial was a size of a friggin baseball.

"Byakko." I asked the albino butler. "Is it possible for you to blend seeds and grains into fine paste? Just to be on the safe side with Suzaku."

"I'll do my best." The butler then leaves towards the kitchen.

I then look at the two unlikely siblings.

The [Blue Tyrera]'s eyes were on the minuscule [Red Filolial] perched on its head, making sure that it doesn't fall off its head.

... My heart is fucking melting like cheese fondue over lava.

"D'aaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww." I gaped in heartfelt awe.

Byakko then kneels down and places a plate of beige-colored paste and a tray of raw chicken where the two were at.

Seiryu lowers its head, letting Suzaku down where its food was.

**O nom nom nom...**

As my cold heart melted like butter, the two mounts then get back together, melting my heart like butter twice over.

I even looked at Garou and Fubuki, and the two of them were also enamoured by the two.

Hell, I even saw Genbu go sober upon seeing the cuteness.

"How much you were drinking last night?" I asked the black [Gremlin].

"I just forgot, laddie." Genbu responded.

I then feel a tugging sensation from my left shoulder.

I turn around, and see Garou and Fubuki looking antsy.

"Nan, can we go outside?" Garou asked. "I know you can't fight and all, but we can."

"Please, you can just hang back." Fubuki stated.

"No, and for several reasons."

I then list down the following.

"One, after my little fireworks show, there are still people out there that want to kill us all." I stated. "Now, while we're too powerful for those fucks, killing them now would result in a waste of time and energy, due to the minimal EXP gain, and the fact that their item drops are now basically vendor trash at this point."

"Two, even if we do go after bigger game for EXP, I prefer to wait a few weeks before I lose another limb." I stated. "And no, I just fought and captured a level 45 [Archangel] just last night, and combined with us looting two major institutions, I think we're sitting pretty for a good while."

"And three." I continued. "If you guys are feeling antsy being confined in the [Archive], then either do push-ups, or I can teach you to how to read. Helps out a lot, really."

The twins look at each other.

"Nan?" Garou asked. "What are push-ups?"

**One instruction later...**

Garou is shirtless, and now he was doing push-ups one-handed.

"Wow..." I gawked at Garou's _swimmer physique_.

I then look at myself underneath my torn robes, then I flex my right arm.

"Definitely lost at least about 5 pounds..." I muttered.

Then again I can't recall eating any carbs for the past three weeks.

And considering how much footwork adventurers, especially,_ heroes_ do...

... Need to recuperate, and fast.

"Byakko." I called out.

"Yes?" The albino called out.

"Do you have a bedding that doesn't involve me falling hard on the floor whenever I try to wake up?" I asked. "At this point, if end up landing on my ex-left arm repeatedly, it's not going to do wonders to what little sanity I have left."

"... We only have the lounge chair by the bookshelves." Byakko stated. "Although it's highly ill-advised to take up temporary residence around there for various reasons..."

I then look at where the bookshelves were.

Scattered books, glassware and beakers, lamps, and books not in their shelves.

"... I can manage."

Before I sort of fell into depression back in the real world, cleaning and menial labor was a way for me distract myself from my internal turmoils.

"Dibs on the couch."

**Several Hours Later...**

"I'm so bored..." I droned out from the couch.

I kinda forgot how boring hospital stays were, let alone being confined in an underground chamber for so long without doing anything.

Hell, I'm so bored that I'm half-tempted to [Summon] my [Chimera] just so I can ask it if I can sleep in its mane.

I would explore the [Archive], but I kinda spent all of my energy cleaning the damn reading spot.

"Grimm?" I asked.

**"Yeah?"** Grimm replied.

"... Remind to thank Byakko later." I stated.

The chained tome nods.

I then pick up and read a book labeled [Guide to Classes and Promotions for Dummies].

**[Guide to Classes and Promotions for Dummies]**

**By: [Tome Hero]**

**Chapter 1: The Five Base Classes**

**Throughout**** the history of this world, there have been five established [Base Classes].**

**[Fighter]: a physical-oriented class that can specialize in the frontlines. Boasting high Attack, Defense, and HP, this is the most simplest of the classes to comprehend, yet the most challenging in the long term. Excels in frontline assaults.**

**Recommended Weapons: [Sword], [Spear], [Axe], [Scythe], and [Katana]**

**[Mage]: a magical-oriented class that specialize in rear support. Boasting exceptionally high Attack and MP, this class excels in area-of-effect bombardments, damage-over-time harassments, and supporting its allies in the frontlines. **

**Recommended Weapons: [Wand], [Fan], [Tome], ****[Mace]****, and [Mirror]**

**[Rouge]: the speed and stealth-oriented class. Boasting high Agility and Luck, this class is all about debuffing the opposition, harassing the enemy with long-range physical attacks, and usually playing close to the chest in order to achieve the highest of boons. High-performance is in mind at all times; do not half-ass.**

**Recommended Weapons: [Bow], [Projectile], [Whip], [Dagger], and ****[Musket]**

**[Cleric]: the support-oriented class. Boasting high Luck, HP, and MP, this class is the "safety net" of the five classes, providing healing, buffs, fend off sneak attacks, and best method of escape, this class is the party's lifeline, and can decide the party's fate between life or death.**

**Recommended Weapons: [Shield], [Hammer], [Gauntlet], [Claw], and ****[Staff]**

**[Hero]: the weapon specialist. The jack-of-all-trades. The main basis of a party's overall strategy. And the ones who are revered as legends. Can copy and harvest any weapon of its given type, and the ones who have the highest potential for growth.**

**Recommended Weapons: already set.**

_"20 established weapons, five classes, and going by that..."_

I then begin taking mental notes and try to connect the dots from there.

_"4 [Legendary Heroes] plus the [Seven Star Heroes] and the [Heroes] from another world equals..."_

4+7+4=15

_"That just leaves..."_

20-15=5

"... Five." I muttered out. "Let's list down and organize..."

[Four Cardinal Heroes]: [Sword], [Spear], [Bow], and [Shield]

[Seven Star Heroes]: [Axe], [Hammer], [Gauntlet], [Claw], [Projectile], [Wand], and [Whip]

[Alternate Heroes] (label for now): [Scythe], [Fan], [Katana], and [Mirror] (somehow remembered that obscure detail).

And no, I do not count the [Carriage] (Fitoria can burn in hell for her "King in the Mountain" bullcrap), [Boat] (WTF), [Hunting] (She can only kill monsters with that crap, so might have to take that up with her later), the [Book] has been reworked into the [Tome], and [Sewing Kit] (again, WTF).

... I'll just label them as the [Quartet Phantom Heroes].

Regardless, methinks something is up.

That just leaves [Mace], [Dagger], [Staff] (Branched off from [Wand] as I saw in the Magic Shop's inventory),[Musket], and the reworked-[Tome].

"So five remaining weapons with _one_ of them having a hero status out of the five..." I muttered. "... BYAKKO!"

The butler comes running.

"Yes master?" He greeted.

"Stupid question, but is it possible that there are the [Mace Hero], the [Dagger Hero], the [Staff Hero], and the [Musket Hero] along with me as the [Tome Hero]!?" I asked with extreme urgency.

The albino butler freezes stiff.

"... You're hiding something, aren't you?" I pressured, immediately catching his act.

The albino butler then lets out a deep sigh.

"... You have the right to know, now that you're one of _them_."

"What do you mean one of _them_?" I asked.

The butler then takes a seats and begins to explain.

**One info-dump about the [Lost Heroes] later...**

"... I kinda thought something felt funny about my... unique circumstances." I muttered. "But seriously..."

I then see Byakko losing composure.

"... Why didn't you tell me that I was one of those five [Lost Heroes] that were basically unpersoned from the pages of history?" I asked in a normal tone.

"... My previous master specifically instructed me to withhold the information until you were strong enough." He confessed. "I was to relinquish the information when you were to reach level 50..."

I also let out a sigh.

"Well, nothing's changed for the most part." I remarked. "I'm still unlocking thing in the [Archive] as I level up..."

"So..." I remarked with a sigh. "... Grimm, at least you're not alone."

**"What do you mean, _not alone_?"** He pointed out. **"I have you guys since I woke up you about to get slashed to mincemeat by those douchebags, so hey, if it means more people in our little coven, I sure as hell ain't complaining!"**

I then smile.

"Thanks Grimm." I spoke. "Because now..."

I stand up.

"I now have a new bucket list."

**1) Prevent the "Dracolich Incident" and the "Famine to Fiendish Fruition" from happening.**

**2) Find the rest of these [Lost Heroes] and have them join my cause.**

**3) Start making connections with Siltvelt's Royal Family and Court to forge a leverage and gather information.**

**4) Get a new left arm, and if possible, start stockpiling prosthetics like a crazy person.**

"You know..." I remarked. "... I feel like reading more books around here."

**"Binge-reading?"** Grimm suggested.

"Byakko." I called out.

"Yes master?" He answered.

"From now on, can you teach Garou and Fubuki how to read?" I requested. "Not only I need extra eyes and brain to know, but also, I get the feeling that their illiteracy might become a detriment, so best to nip the bud before it blooms."

"Understood."

My stomach then begins to grumble.

I then look at where Garou, Fubuki, Seiryu, Suzaku, and Genbu were.

They all reeked of post-workout sweat.

"You five, hit the showers!" I cried out towards them. "No lunch for you guys if you all stink like an outhouse!"

All of them then head towards the shower room.

"Oh and master?" Byakko called out.

"Yes?" I answered.

"No lunch until you clean up." He stated while pointing down.

... Holy shit, my feet are buried in text.

I think I've reawakened my former bookworm and neat freak, and hey, who knows.

This all might keep me sane.

**After Lunch...**

I haven't a good salad for a good while.

"Byakko, from now on, make sure I go vegan." I stated.

"Understood." He answered.

I then look at my other party members, who were all eating their food.

Garou and Fubuki were practically inhaling their roast beef (got rid of the "sandwich part"), Seiryu was eating the twin's leftovers, leaving some for Suzaku, and Genbu was holding onto a 18th goblet of wine.

... What a team.

"So, Byakko." I called. "When do you think I can go out?"

"... About that." He stated. "I do require another set of materials to make [Painkillers] for your periods until we find you a replacement."

"Alright, shoot." I stated.

"[Green Herb x50], [Red Root x50], and [Blue Ferns x50]." Byakko requested. "All can be found at [Eastern Groves]."

"Hit me up." I handed the butler the hourglass.

He then heads to the Central Nexus as I head towards the bookshelves.

I then continue on my book towards the next chapter.

**Chapter 2: Class Promotions**

**Okay, from here on, things are going to be convoluted as hell, so listen up.**

**As covered in the previous chapter on the five base classes, [Class Promotions] are a way for a party member to get much stronger.**

**But its the possibilities that can easily mindboggle normal readers, so my explanations will be dumbed down as much as possible.**

**Starting with the basics, we [Class Tiers].**

**There are three tiers, [Basic], the base five, [Intermediate], which can be reached upon promoting after level 40, and [Elite], which can be reached around hitting level 100.**

**The confirmed level cap is level 999, but people throughout history tend to stop after hitting the [Elite] tier, so information from there is foggy at best.**

**Regardless, here are the branching paths, starting with the [Hero].**

**[Hero] can either promote to [Saint] or [Fallen]. **

**[Saint] can promote to [Savior], the line focusing on overall stat increases and increased general performance (Generalist).**

**[Fallen] can promote to [Overlord], the line capitalizing on the [Cursed Series], increasing their power and decreasing the costs and drawbacks (Specialist).**

... Suddenly, I can kinda see the future where I become this world's equivalent of Ainz Ooal Gown.

I have no reservations on achieving so.

**[****Intermediate-Tier****] can promote to the following if equipped available weapons _only_ within base class (Note: take a deep breath in before reading, along with the next three):**

**[****Fighter****]:**

** [Myrmidon]: [Sword] & [Spear]**

**[Warrior]: [Sword] & [Axe]**

**[Reaper]: ****[Sword]**** & ****[Scythe]**

**[Swordmaster]: [Sword] & [Katana]**

**[Brigand]: [Spear]**** & ****[Axe]**

**[Raider]: [Spear]**** & ****[Scythe]**

**[Nobushi]: ****[Spear] & [Katana]**

**[Reaver]: ****[Axe]** **&** **[Scythe]**

**[Kaizoku]: [Axe] & [Katana]**

**[Hitokiri]: [Scythe] & ****[Katana]**

**[Mage]:**

**[Elementalist]: [Wand] & [Fan]**

**[Warlock]: [Wand] & [****Tome]**

**[War Mage]: [Wand] & [Mace]**

**[Summoner]: [Wand] & [Mirror]**

**[Miko]: [Fan] & [Mirror]**

**[Onmyoji]: [Fan] & [Tome]**

**[****Sōhei****]: [Fan] & [Mace]**

**[Designator]: [Tome] & [Mace]**

**[Occultist]: [Tome] & [Mirror]**

**[Jinx]: ****[Mace] ****& ****[Mirror]**

**[Rouge]:**

**[Tracker]: [Bow] & [Projectile]**

**[Ranger]: [Bow] & [Whip]**

**[Assassin]: [Bow] & [Dagger]**

**[Sniper]: [Bow] & [Musket]**

**[Hunter]: [Projectile] & [Whip]**

**[Ninja]: [Projectile] & [Dagger]**

**[Guerilla]: [Projectile] & [Musket]**

**[Adventurer]: [Whip] & [Dagger]**

**[Frontiersman]: [Whip] & [Musket]**

**[Brigadier]: [Dagger] & [Musket]**

**[Cleric]:**

**[Paladin]: [Shield] & [Hammer]**

**[Vanguard]: [Shield] & [Gauntlet]**

**[Warlord]: [Shield] & [Claw]**

**[Bastion]: [Shield] & [Staff]**

**[War Cleric]: [Hammer] & [Gauntlet]**

**[Errant]: [Hammer] & [Claw]**

**[Crusader]: [Hammer] & [Staff]**

**[Marshal]: [Claw] & [Gauntlet]**

**[Shaman]: [Claw] & [Staff]**

**[Monk]: [Gauntlet] & [Staff]**

**However, there have been deviations from the norm, such as weapons from two different classes being implemented into one class. So I decided to label them as [Deviant Classes], which will be**** covered on its own chapter.**

... I thought smelled fishy.

Garou is classified as a [Brawler], a class that utilizes [Rouge] and [Cleric]'s weaponry.

... I also smell class experimentation. But before we cross that bridge, [Elite-Tiers], everybody!

**[Elite-Tiers] are in the league of their own, due to their lack of coherence between them and their pre-promotes. Here are the ones that I've seen so far, details of said classes are rather minimal, due there not being many cases of anyone reaching this promotions, but I did manage to pinpoint their starter [Passive] and [Active] Skills (In that order) that come pre-packaged with the [Class Promotion] in no specific order:**

**[Guardian]: Party's damage sponge**

**[White Knight]: All incoming attacks directed towards party members in critical HP range will be redirected towards user**

** [Rampart]: Nullifies all damage from a single oncoming attack to each single party member**

... Naofumi would love this class, but something tells me that he might also hate it.

**[Berserker]: More damage received, more buffs received**

**[Unyielding]: Damage received by the user will grant user buffs to all stats by the percentage of HP lost**

**[Reclaim]: Inflicts physical damage to single target proportional to the user's HP lost and all of user's stat buffs combined; restores 100% of user's HP and lose all stat buffs after successfully dealing damage (if damage is nulled, the latter effect will not activate)**

Again, Naofumi.

**[Dark Knight]: Sacrifice HP for more power to user**

**[Martyr]: Every time user inflicts damage to self, raise Attack stat by 15% (can stack)**

**[Sacrificial Strike]: Sacrifice 20% of user's HP to inflict major physical damage to single target**

... I'm suddenly hearing _Crawling_ by Linkin Park.

**[Daredevil]: Lower the target's HP, more power it ****receives**

**[Dashing]: Grants additional 20% boost to all damage inflicted by user if target's HP is below 75%**

**[Finale]: Inflicts major physical damage to multiple targets; bonus 30% damage inflicted if target's HP is below 50%**

Practical class for harassment and for the ones landing the finishing blow to an enemy.

I.E., Malty.

**[Nightbane]: Specializes in targeting [Evil]-aligned targets during nighttime**

**[Lightsworn]: Deals 20% more damage to all [Evil]-aligned targets during nighttime**

**[X-Ecution]: Inflicts colossal damage to a single [Evil]-aligned target; deals additional 25% damage during nighttime**

... Now I'm hearing _Bloody Tears_ from Castlevania.

**[Warlord]: Partywide buffer and good for long, drawn-out battles**

**[Rally]: Grants 2% buff to all stats**** excluding HP and MP ****for the whole party every 5 seconds**

**[Formation]: Grants partywide buffs that provide additional 20% damage dealt to targets**

Yep, Man-at-Arms from Darkest Dungeon.

Been a while since I've seen glimpses of the Hamlet.

**[Highlander]: Hindered by no [Passive] or [Active] stat debuffs, negative ailments, and negative terrain effects**

**[Iron Body]: Prevents user from being inflicted by negative ailments both by target and terrain**

**[Breakthrough]: Inflicts colossal physical damage while ignoring target's stat buffs and ignoring user's stat debuffs**

... Something tells me that this class will be a pain in the ass to face.

Naofumi would love this class.

** [Necromancer]: Summons [Undead] enemies to its side for support and empowers all existing summons**

**[Crypt King]: Automatically [Summon]s a random [Undead x1] every 2 seconds (Note: [Undead] can range from [Skeleton] to [Lich]-rank [Encounters], [Zombie] to [Death]-rank, and [Ghost] to [Wraith]-rank)**

**[Children of the Grave]: [Summon]s random [Undead x10] and [Evolve] all other current [Undead] (Note: [Evolution Tree] goes in this order: [Inorganic]: [Skeleton] ➡ [Wight] **** [Lich], [Organic]: [Zombie] ****➡ [Revenant] ➡ [Death], [Spiritual]: [Ghost] **** [Specter] ****➡ [Wraith]****)**

... Now I wish I was that guy.

** [Thaumaturge]: Master of offensive and [Debuff]ing magic**

**[Speed-Casting]: Spells no longer require incantation to be activated at max performance**

**[Flare]: Inflicts**** lethal ****[Non-Elemental] magic damage that ignores all of target's buffs**

Again, I wish I was that guy.

** [Dragoon]: Charged-Attack specialists**

**[Quickened Pulse]: Charge time for Skills are now cut by 50%**

**[Crashland]: Jump up into the air for 10 seconds and then inflict lethal physical damage to multiple targets**

Sup, Kain Highwind.

**[Justicar]: Specializes in targeting all [Chaotic]-aligned targets**

**[Enforce]: All [Chaotic]-aligned targets get inflicted by a passive 2% stat debuff ****excluding HP and MP ****every 5 seconds **

**[Accuse]: Inflicts 75% stat debuff to all [Chaotic]-aligned targets excluding HP and MP**

Oof, do not wanna cross this guy.

... #fuckthepolice

** [Kenshi]: DPS and one-on-one [Physical] specialist**

**[Bushido]: All [Physical] damage dealt by user has now 50% chance to deal a critical hit**

**[Tenchu]: Deal [Physical] damage guaranteed as a fatal blow**

... Ren would love this class.

** [Kagemusha]: Turn user's enemies against each other and sow chaos in their ranks**

**[Genjutsu]: All [Physical] attacks dealt by user will now have a chance to inflict random negative aliments**

**[Tenton-Jippo]: Upon five seconds of this skill's activation, if target attacks user, target's attack will be redirected to target's allies instead**

... Woe to anyone who runs into this class.

I.E., **gimme**.

** [Shugoki]: Specializes in removing target's buffs and ****immunities**

**[Ryakudatsu]: Every successive physical damage dealt by user will remove one of target's buff in random**

**[Hakai]: Deals colossal physical damage to a single target, and if target has no stat buffs, the attack is a guaranteed critical hit**

... Pls nerf.

**[Marksman]: Ultimate long-range specialist**

**[Hawkeye]: All ranged [Physical] skill will have 75% to deal a critical hit**

**[Headhunt]: Deal ranged physical damage to a single target with 50% to deal a fatal blow**

... If Itsuki somehow gets this class, I am going to be half-tempted to rip off both of his arms and beat him to death with it.

** [Trapmaster]: Specializes in trapping and stunning enemy targets to line up for a perfectly-aimed attack**

**[Pragmatist]: Grants 50% boost to all stats excluding HP and MP if user has inflicted negative aliments to a target**

**[Ambush]: Deals major physical damage to single target, and deals additional 50% damage if target is inflicted with a negative aliment**

Oh my god, if this class is paired up with the Kagemusha, then that poor bastard better start praying that he or she at least dies quickly.

** [Sage]: Master of both offensive and healing magic**

**[Wisdom]: Increase user's HP and MP by 75%**

**[Equalizer]: Heals all party members back to full health and deal [Non-Elemental] magical damage proportionate and evenly divided to the HP healed to all targets**

And the Red Mage gets some love!

**[Grandmaster]: Master of both [Physical] and [Magical] skills**

**[Mastery]: All of user's [Physical] and [Magical] Skill now deals 20% more damage and has an additional 20% chance to deal a critical hit**

**[Dual Strike]: Deals both [Physical] and [Magical] damage proportionate to the target's difference in Attack and Defense stats**

The most balanced class out of all of these schmucks.

I then turn to the next page and read the following.

**The [Hero] promotes cannon promote to [Elite-Tier] Classes, but however, upon reaching level 150, they access the [Subclass] feature, which allows the [Hero] to choose one [Elite-Tier] Class and use their skill sets.**

**For me in particular, my [Subclass] was the [Thaumaturge], and by the time I was writing this, I was around level 159.**

... Lightbulb.

**"Um, kid?"** I heard Grimm call out. **"What's with that smile?"**

**"Just feelin' hunky dory..." **I stated.

Now I am torn between staying here and read more, or start grinding for levels like a crazy person.

... One more day.

Just one more day.

**Switching POV: Byakko**

Another day passes into night.

His master had rigorously studied on the [Class Promotions] and [Class Tiers] until he fell asleep on the couch.

"Hmm..." Byakko looked at the bookshelf in front of him. "... It's been a while since I've read this."

He picks out a book from the shelves called [1984], written by a person named George Orwell.

He then recalls those times where his previous master would read this engrossing cautionary tale of tyranny and domestication of free will.

He then looks back at Nan, sleeping with one arm short.

He then sees the resemblance between the two [Tome Heroes].

Both were fighting to end tyranny and bigotry.

The former prepared the [Archive] as a cache for precious knowledge that will eventually serve as the foundation for a new world that the [Tome Hero] envisioned.

The latter was slowly building said world, one brick at a time.

"I will not fail." Byakko muttered to himself as he then went under a lamplight and crack open the worn pages of the eye-covered book.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

... Okay, I did not land on my stump, that's good.

I then stumble my way towards the deposit, brush my teeth, pass by the twins, the Filolial and Tyrera pair, and Genbu, still drunk off his gourd.

At least he's a functional addict.

I then head to the Nexus, checking on the survey, and already, I was laughing.

Itsuki tried to sneak out of the hospital along with the rest of his party by shimming down the third floor window, but one of them slipped off his grip and fell on top of everyone else.

Extended hospital stay, bitch.

As for the other two, Ren and surprisingly, Motoyasu, were well-behaved for the most part (Motoyasu staring at the nurses' asses notwithstanding), and I then see my bounty poster has now gone up to _250,000,000 gold_.

I also then look at the thugs and bounty hunters lining up and drooling like dogs over the pay, sharpening their blades and contemplating the pay that they're going to receive upon collecting my head.

With none of them even scratching level 30.

But hey, free EXP is free EXP.

As for Naofumi and Raphtalia, they were waking up as Filo was welcomed to the world, so good. Everything was going as planned.

Oh, and let's not forget the Patron Goddess of Cutting Edge Bitches herself.

... At least she's not the only one who lost an eye, only she herself now has an ivory-colored opera half mask and a glass eye over her right side.

Oddly enough, no bald spots.

"So..." I spoke out while eating my fruit salad (going vegan). "... I think it's safe to go outside and gather materials for the [Painkillers]." I suggested.

"As long as you don't encounter any [Encounter] higher-leveled than you, then I have no reservations." Byakko stated.

"My man."

We then high-five.

"Alright, game plan." I called out. "Around 9:30, we head out [Eastern Groves] and start farming for materials. We're bringing along Seiryu and Suzaku for this little picnic. Any questions?"

No response.

"Alright." I stated. "After eating, suit up."

We finish breakfast, and then, we suit.

"Master." Byakko stated. "We need a replacement for your [Magus Robes]."

"... Oh right, left arm."

[Sword of Sacred Light] had to be an incendiary blade, so not only I lost an arm, but my cloak was on the verge of falling apart.

"Please." I stated.

**One reequip later...**

"The [Chthonian Cloak]..." I looked at my replacement. "... And also, new boots."

The [Chthonian Cloak] was a ash-black and tattered-looking cloak with demonic-looking amber runes glowing all over., and the [Mountaineer's Boots] was extremely serviceable.

"... Longshot, but does the vaults have a skull mask?" I asked.

"I'll go take a look." Byakko then heads back where the vaults were.

Around the Nexus, the twins, the black [Gremlin], and the [Red Filolial] & [Blue Tyrera] pair were gathered.

"Here master." I then see the albino butler come towards me with a skull-like mask.

I then equip [Necromancer's Visage] on my face.

**"Alright..."** My voice filtered through the mask. **"... Let's go have a picnic."**

**One [Teleport] later...**

My whole party had their hoods up and faces covered, except Suzaku and Seiryu, due to them being easily blending in with the rest of the fauna.

After about two hours of walking through the forest, we arrive at [Eastern Grove].

There were lots of [Eggugs] and [Jackalopes].

**"[Analyze]."**

**Name: [Eggug]**

**Class: [Common Encounter]**

**Level: 20**

**Affinity: [Earth]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Item Drops: [Rich Yoke] (100%), [Eggshells] (100%)**

**Attack: 15**

**Defense: 20**

**Agility: 15**

**Luck: 10**

**HP: 100**

**MP: 50**

**Name: [Jackalope]**

**Class: [Common Encounter]**

**Level: 25**

**Affinity: [Light]**

**Alignment: True Neutral**

**Item Drops: [Sharp Horn] (100%), [Fresh Venison] (100%)**

**Attack: 25**

**Defense: 10**

**Agility: 25**

**Luck: 20**

**HP: 150**

**MP: 50**

... I'll try to find berries for lunch. Until then, the others were hunting and gathering at the same time.

Well, at least there were tones of [Blue Ferns] around the groves.

[Red Roots] and [Green Herbs] were significantly harder.

Took me a while to figure out that the two were connected together.

And after I collected 50 of each, saw my party starting a campfire and eating the [Eggugs] and [Jackalopes] over a fire.

And sudden brilliant idea, but apparently, Garou and Fubuki were eating the [Eggugs] using their own shells as a bowl.

... I would say that's disturbing as hell in context, but back in my world, I saw a turtle soup being made.

Your arguments are invalid.

Well, no food for me-

Something hits my ankle, and and I find the the surviving [Eggug] and [Jackalope], both trembling in fear.

**"Alright, alright, I'll let you live."**

"[Eggug] and [Jackalope] added to [Summon]." My HUD messaged.

I then find a bush of red berries.

I then come closer to inspect that the fruit is not poisonous, and upon a closer look, they looked like raspberries.

"Oooh, yummy-"

I then see only darkness as something pulls me down into the earth.

**Switching POV: Garou and Fubuki**

"Say 'ahhh'."

Fubuki then feeds now-chicken-sized Filolial softboiled egg yolk.

The red bird happily gobbles it down, and falls over after eating only one portion.

"Well, at Sazaku eats like one." Genbu stated while chugging down a bottle of wine in his scaly lips.

Garou then looks around.

"Fubuki?" He asked. "... Where did Nan go-"

An arrow zips by his cheek and lands right in front of him.

"EVERYONE, SCATTER!"

The whole party then readies themselves for combat.

Out of the bushes emerged a rabble of shoddily-dressed hooligans and cutthroats, all salivating at their chance to cash in on the [Tome Fallen]'s 250 million-gold head.

"Well whaddya know..." The portly [Bounty Hunter] cackled out. "Guess we get to have some fun before we earn our keep..."

The others cackle as then brandish their arms.

"Garou!?" Fubuki cried out. "What now!?"

"KILL THEM ALL!" Both Garou and the head [Bounty Hunter] roared out together.

The fox girl and the [Red Filolial] mount Seiryu, and Genbu climbs onto Garou's back and begin to engage the thugs.

"Icy winds of the neverending winter, bind my enemies in your brutal embrace!" Fubuki chanted while riding on Seiryu's back with Suzaku nesting on her head. "Entrap these mongrels! [Flash-Freeze]!"

All of the surrounding thugs were all covered in patches of ice, burning their skins and severing their limbs.

"OH MY GOD! MY ARMS!"

"SOMEBODY GET WATER! IT FUCKING BURNS!"

"OHMIGOD OHMIGOD OHMIGOD OHMIGOD-"

The last one was shattered into chunks of frozen flesh and blood by Garou.

"DIE YOU BASTARD!"

A cutthroat tries to take him from behind, but the wolf-[Brawler] elbows him in the gut, right punching _through_ his face.

"YOU'RE MINE, YOU BASTARD!" A [Mercenary] swings his sword towards Garou.

Garou catches the blade with his [Bladed Gauntlets], right before he stabs his left hand into the [Mercenary]'s brows and rips out both of his eyeballs.

Garou kicks off the corpse that his right arm was stuck in, and spin-kicks the thug trying to jump him, shattering his rib, allowing Genbu to go in for the kill with his [Silver Sword].

"Wh-WHAT THE HELL ARE THESE ANIMALS!?"

"OHMIGOD, THEY KILLED KENNY!"

"YOU BASTARD-"

Seiryu dropkicks the last thug, and upon downing him, Suzaku rips out his throat with his beak.

"DID THAT FUCKING _CHICKEN_ KILL KYLE!?"

"WE DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS SHIT!"

Suddenly from the bushes, a giant, armored figure emerges, its face completely obscured by its helmet, and its girth was so wide that it snapped the trees down that it was squeezing through out of.

"OI! IT'S THE BOSS, COON-"

The armored figure grasps the mook's head and pops it like a rotten berry.

**"It's _'The Coon'_, okay?"** The imposing figure spoke out in a disproportionately-whiny-sounding voice from his visor.

"Now what, brother?" Fubuki asked Garou.

"Wait for him to attack, then counterattack." Garou stated.

The armored giant then takes out an extremely large flask of foul-smelling liquor.

The fat armored man then begins chug it down through the vents of his helmet as the drains spotted on the back of his helmet spill out the piss-colored ale.

The ground sizzles and pops like acid upon being anointed by this nauseating booze.

**"EAT THIS, BITCHES!" **

The armored giant then belches out a jet of orange-colored fire.

**"[Bad Breath]!"**

The noxious stream of gaseous flames comes towards them like a wave of death.

"[Frost Trap]!"

A dome of ice surrounds the remaining party, protecting them from the air of death.

The ice around them quickly begins to melt along with the scent of rotten cheese seeping in from the forming gaps.

Fubuki then erects another layer of ice as the first was giving out.

**Switching POV: 3rd-Person**

Outside, The Coon was still belching out his [Bad Breath] attack devastated the surrounding area of all life from the scent alone.

As for the surrounding flora...

... The whole area was literally burnt to the ground.

The fumes subside, but the stench remains.

**"Now that was good Cheezy Poofs."** The Coon spoke in a pleased tone.

But then, he still sees the barrier of ice still standing.

**"WHA!?"** The Coon gawked. **"I THOUGHT THE [Bad Breath] WAS SUPPOSED TO MELT THROUGH EVERYTHING! WHAT A RIP!"**

The Coon then sucks on his giant gorde once more.

**"TIME TO FACE MY FURY, YOU FURRY FUCKS!"**

The Coon then sucks in air right before burping it out.

**"[Bad Breath-"**

Suddenly, his grotesquely-obese body sinks into the earth drowns him down to his nose.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

"HOLY SHIT! IT REEKS OUT HERE!"

... I think was better off staying underground.

Okay, long story short, a bunch of [Zombies] abducted me and dragged me down to an underground tunnel network, I sort of fought my way out, looted their corpses, planted a [Beacon] at another [Dungeon] entrance, managed to recruit [Zombie Fighter], [Rouge], [Mage], and oddly enough, a [Cleric] (dude's the [Rare] out of the [Abnormals]), heard things coming up from the surface, then heard Fat Bastard's footsteps reverberating throughout the chasms, and through a bit of poking and prodding on where the _Malboros_ was, I [Summon]ed all of my [Skeleton Variants] and [Zombie Variants] to act as my digging crew, and by the time we managed to dig an adequate hole for the hog, I thought I smelled natural gas leaking out of the earth, only to recall that I was facing upwards, and by the time I realized it, I dug myself out of my grave, only to enter the literal bowels of hell.

On the plus side, I learned [Bad Breath] thanks to my [Bird Eyes], but something tells me that I'm going to have to apologize later on.

I then hear something crashing down, revealing the rest of my party completely unharmed...

... Except for the fact that they're on the verge of vomit-

*BLEGH*

**[We are experiencing technical ****difficulties.]**

**[Please stand by.]**

**...**

"... Urp." I gagged. "... Anyone still alive?"

"Kill me already..." I heard Garou groan out.

"My nose and head are burning..." Fubuki whimpered out.

Genbu was shielding Suzaku from this traumatic experience, and Seiryu all just flat-out fainted.

",,, Man, this day blows." I groaned out.

I then turn my attention towards the fat fuck buried under the dirt.

"... Time to pay, dickwad."

You know, I've always wanted to try combining Skills together to utilize new Skills.

What better opportunity then a dead man walking as our latest subject?

"First..." I then open Grimm's pages. "... [Shield Prison]."

A dome of iron shields cover the armored fuck's head.

"Then..." I turned the page. "... [Noxious Gas] and [Bad Breath]."

I then hear sounds of gas vents spraying inside of the dome.

"[Gas Chamber] Skill, learned." My HUD announced.

Then a message comes from "BB-Chan" (I don't know what else to call it anymore, so fuck it).

**Fun Fact: [Combo Skills]**

**Way to go, champ! You've learned a new Skill by combining other Skills!**

**[Combo Skills] are Skills that are unlocked by using a certain combination of Skills to execute a stronger and deadlier Skill onto your enemies!**

**To quote Ms. Frizzle: "Take chances! Make mistakes! Get messy!"**

... Did you know that I actually miss the original Magic School Bus?

Eh, either way, I probably going to have lots of fun utilizing this little feature.

For now?

"Everyone, let's get the fuck out of here. Grimm, are the materials still intact?" I spoke out.

**"Still there, and before you ask, no, they do not smell."** Grimm reaffirmed.

**One [Teleport-Archive], an-hour-long shower and therapy session later...**

"... Going to bed, goodnight y'all."

The whole party and I get to our bunks without a word.

... For if we did, it shall not be said.

**Next Morning...**

... The stench is gone.

Hallelujah, muthafucka-

I then hear screaming coming from the hammock room.

I dash in, and see the twins stepping away from a little boy with scarlet hair and little wings coming out of his back, and a azure-haired female teen covered in dark-blue scales around her arms and legs.

Did I forgot to mention that both of them were naked as a newborn baby?

"... You four alright?" I asked.

"JUST WHO ARE THEY!?" Garou cried out in panic while pointing at the two nude people.

"... You honestly don't remember us?" The scaled girl spoke out in the voice of Pandy from Dead Leaves (Amanda Winn Lee).

"Honestly, what kind of sick joke is this?" The redhead birb-boy spoke out in the voice of Michael Sinterniklaas. "... At least you know who we are, judging by how you're looking at us, right Master Nan?"

"You want me to clear it up?" I asked. "And give you two something to cover up with so that this whole situation doesn't go south?"

"Just who are those two, Nan!?" Fubuki asked.

I then let out a sigh as I stepped in.

"Everyone." I said. "This is Seiryu and Suzaku, now as [Tyrera Queen] and [Filolial King] respectively."

"EEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?"

Byakko and Genbu come running/waddling in.

"... I assume those two are... the dragon and the chicken?" The butler pointed out.

Suzaku flips off the butler.

"Just get them something for them to wear..." I muttered while turning away.

Well on the plus side, I now have an excuse to go outside.

**One _Henge _(Change) and transformation testing later...**

"We're done changing!"

The two then come out of the room, now fully clothed and armed.

For Seiryu, she was in the [Barbarian Armor], but blue rather than Naofumi's green, with a fur-trimmed and rune-inscribed [Berserker's Mantle] rather than a regular cape, a massive [Steel Bludgeon] and an Anglo-Saxon-inspired [Barbarian Helm] was slung around her back, a bull-skull-like [Berserker Rune] and [Chimera Teeth Necklace] were both slung around her neck like necklaces, and her feet were bare, because she likes it that way and boots make her feet stuffy.

As for Suzaku, he was wearing Chinese-inspired [Vermilion Robes] with a plain-looking [Rouge's Cowl] draped over his shoulders like a raincoat, underneath his bodies were [Mark of the Apex Predator] (on his arms), [Mark of the Godspeed] (on his legs and bare feet), and [Mark of the Shadow Dancer] (on his back), and around his neck hung a golden [Celestial Rune of Protection].

As for stats, I'll keep it brief.

Seiryu is a level 30 [Tyrera Queen Fighter], with her stats leaning towards offensive physical tank, and from the looks alone, she looks like a blue-haired _Mordred_ from Fate/Apocrypha.

Suzaku is a level 31 [Filolial King Rouge], equipping no weaponry, but his absurdly-high Attack and Speed stats (along with his low Defense and HP), he's basically _Li Shuwen_ from Fate/EXTRA.

And no, both of them elected to stay in their humanoid form, since according to them, it's less fragile and clumsy (Suzaku), and it's easier to dropkick someone with this body (Seiryu).

I then look at my whole party so far.

A one-eyed and one-armed [Hero] turned [Fallen] in order to reform Melromarc and the whole world by force with his amnesiac and carnivorous [Forbidden Tome] along with countless [Summons] acting as one giant family, twin demi-slaves turned badasses, an albino [Homunculus] [Cleric]/butler, a black-scaled [Gremlin] dimensional-traveler, and a [Filolial King] and a [Tyrera Queen] as unlikely siblings ready to kick ass, take names, and chew bubblegum.

... What a friggin' team.

"So what now?" Seiryu asked with a grin.

"... Unfortunately, due to yesterday's... _circumstances_."

I try not to vomit upon the thought.

"... Our movements outside are restricted, so we're going to have to lay low for about a few..."

My eyes turn upon seeing the [Bird Eye]'s survey of seeing Motoyasu heading towards [Southwest Village] with the _seed_ in hand.

"Change of plans, we bounce."

I click on the [Portable Dragon's Hourglass] and [Teleport] my whole party towards [Southwest Village].

**Smear Campaign: Start**

**One [Teleport-Beacon: Southwest Village] later...**

"RUN!" I then bolt towards the village gates along with my party.

And from the cliffside, I see Motoyasu presenting the seed in hand.

"GRIMM!"

The [Forbidden Tome] then lashes out towards Motoyasu's hand, swiping the seed from his hands.

"Jackpot." I then [Analyze] the seed...

... and find out that it's and [Encounter].

**Name: [Mutant Seed]**

**Class: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Affinity: ?**

**Alignment: ?**

**Item Drops: ?**

**Attack: ?**

**Defense: ?**

**Agility: ?**

**Luck: ?**

**HP: ?**

**MP: ?**

"HEY!"

I look up, and find Motoyasu pointing his [Legendary Spear] at me.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" Motoyasu roared out. "THAT SEED IS THE ONLY HOPE OF THIS VILLAGE!"

"... Do you know what kind of seed this is?" I pointed out. "And if so, did you happen to find inside a chest with the sign reading **_'We fervently pray that the Seed never make it out of this tunnel. It is a horribly twistested manifestation of our wish that nobody would feel the pangs of hunger ever again in this world'_**?" I asked.

"AND WHO GIVES WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY!?" I heard Malty.

"Hey choco-Malt." I called out. "How's the Phantom of the Opera doing?"

"DO NOT HEED THAT HERETIC'S WORDS!" Malty cried out towards the crowd. "FOR HIS WORDS ARE NOT OF IMPORTANCE!"

"Eh, you have a point." I stated.

"Master Nan, ya just gonna let her walk all over you?" I heard Seiryu.

I shush her as I slowly took out my [Sacrificial Dagger].

... This better work.

"Ha!" She huffed out triumphantly. "IF YOU SAY SO, THEN RETURN THE SEED-"

"- So I'll let _action_ take place of my words instead."

I plunge the knife into the [Mutant Seed].

"[Invoke]."

The seed then begins to sprout out vines from the fractures.

"Alright." I then throw down the seed as I put my [Necromancer's Visage] back on.

The seed then plants itself on the ground, and as the people began to flee from it, the fauna started to take a more... shall we say, a more _humanoid_ form.

"NAN!" Garou cried out. "WHAT'S GOING ON!?"

I smiled as my face slips underneath my skull-mask.

**"Another successful experiment."**

**Alraune**

**Sweet as honey, hot as hell, and come to kick your ass (balls)**

**Name: [Alraune]**

**Class: [Boss Encounter]**

**Level: 43**

**Affinity: [Earth] & [Dark]**

**Alignment: Neutral Evil**

**Item Drops: [Miracle Seed x1] (75%), [Life Rune of Fortitude] (25%), [Mark of the Earth Goddess] (5%)**

**Attack: 38**

**Defense: 47**

**Agility: 10**

**Luck: 20**

**HP: 450**

**MP: 450**

"WH-WH-WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?" Motoyasu cried out in disbelief.

**"... What the sign warned about."** I stated. **"Now, my party shall reap all the benefits."**

"LIKE HELL YOU WILL!"

The idiot then jumps down towards the [Alraune].

"[Flame Spear-"

He just gets grabbed by his ankle and gets slung around like a rag doll before flying towards where the compost pile was at (the flies).

"[Flame Spear] Skill, learned." My HUD announced.

Thank you.

And the curvaceous plant-humanoid screeches out into the air.

**"WHO DARES DISTURB MY SLUMBER-"**

**"Sup, Poison Ivy." **I nonchalantly called out.** "Sorry bout' wakin' you up unnoticed, but do you mind joining my cause?"**

**"Only if prove worthy..."** The [Alraune] declared.** "... In Kombat!"**

**FIGHT**

**"[Summon-Manticore]!"**

The human-faced lion monster leaps out of Grimm's pages, charging towards the plant lady.

The [Alraune] then blooms a flower on top of her head, which then begins to spread pollen everywhere.

**"Ahh... ahh... AH CHOO!"**

Oh god, allergies!?

And then, I look at the ground below us, and see that the pollen that landed on the earth are now spawning smaller [Alraunes].

**"... Aw."** I cooed. **"That is so friggin adorable-"**

*Chomp*

**"AGHHHHH! OH FUCK! IT'S BITING MY FINGER OFF-Oh wait, it's just my [Bandit's Silver Thumb]- AH CHOO!"**

Through my slightly teary eyes, I see the following:

Malty and the rest of Motoyasu's party were having the case of the sniffles, Garou and Fubuki were practically begging for the swift release of death, Genbu already drank himself to slumber, Seiryu and Suzaku were sneezing less (not by much in comparison), and my [Manticore] had already retreated back to Grimm's pages.

... Okay, no speaking, just think about the next move to make.

First, the fight pattern.

[Alraune] in D&D can make consecutive attacks with its multiple vines, and said vines can be used for either entangling, or grappling like she did with Motoyasu.

But what stood out were the pollens.

Instead of utilizing nectar like the [Alraunes] in D&D, this one uses pollen not only as a defensive measure, but also to summon little versions of herself (with one still not making a dent in my thumb).

To wit, normal [Alraune] are a bit more aggressive and territorial, while this one is more conservative and defensive when it comes to her actions, as if her overall behavior was completely altered.

Could I have something to do with it? Can it have to do with me summoning it in the middle of nowhere that made it more defensive? Can it have to do with something that it's artificial status that makes her overall behavior completely different for the others?

Or could it-

*CLUNK*

... Through the honey-yellow smog, I saw a rod-like object lodged into the [Alraune]'s face.

**"... Seiryu, is that you-"**

*BLEGH*

Yep, its her.

Alright, time kick ass.

**"[Summon-Archangel]!"**

The Bayonetta-lookin' muthafucka comes out of Grimm's pages, brandishing its [Sword of the Sacred Light] like a muthafuckin' Lightsaber.

**"To what do you require of this one, insect?"** The [Archangel] spoke out.

... Hindsight, I sort of knew that working with him was going to be a pain in the ass.

But hey, power is power, and I'll take what I can get.

**"Shank that taint!"** I pointed towards the [Alraune] while trying not to sneeze.

**"... Acknowledged."**

The [Archangel] the flies towards the [Alraune], only to get entangled with a shitload of vines.

"[Entangling Vines] Skill learned." My HUD stated.

Really don't need it since the boss is stationary.

**"[Dritte-Fireball]!"**

A orb made of fire shoots towards the [Alraune].

She only receives negligible amount of damage.

**"... Aw shit. Forgot she has naturally high magic resistance."**

She then grabs me by the ankle and tosses me upwards in the air.

Okay, first, know that she's resistant to magic attacks, so physical attacks might do the trick.

Second, how will I-

*lightbulb*

... Booya.

**"GRIMM!"** I yelled out as we were falling.

**"IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!"** Grimm roared out. **"LET'S DO THIS SHIT!"**

I then sling around Grimm's chains.

**"LET'S GO, GRIMM!"**

The [Forbidden Tome] lashes out his fangs towards [Alraune].

**"First [Bite]..."** I muttered. **"... Then [Flame Spear]."**

The two Skills together then form a new Skill.

**"[Fire Fang]!"**

Grimm's ignited teeth then sink into the [Alraune]'s planty flesh.

The plant lady starts screaming in agony as her insides were boiling.

I then just remembered that Byakko was immune to the pollens.

**'BYAKKO!"**

The albino butler then tosses his [Medic's Scalpels] towards the [Alraune]'s eyes.

While I try to find my landing and bearings while the [Alraune] was flailing around like those inflatable advertising tube men.

**"... Come on you son of a bitch..."** I muttered to myself. **"Land softly, land softly, land-"**

... And the last thing I saw before blacking out, was the [Alraune]'s face _between_ my legs.

F = 6.67 x 10^-11((192 lb x 357 lb)/500ft^2)

F = Manhood, _adios_.

**[We are experiencing technical ****difficulties.]**

**[Please stand by.]**

**...**

I wake up to find clear blue skies and the worried faces of my party and [Summons].

"... Am I dead?" I asked everyone facing me.

**"You were _almost_ worthy in the place of Heaven for your bravery."** The [Archangel] stated. **"Either that, or you might've lived as a _woman_ for the rest of your life."**

"Eh, I'm gender fluid." I replied. "Hell, I can still feel my balls... only _swollen_."

Speaking of which, I then see [Alraune]'s face between my legs, caressing my balls with her cheeks seductively.

"... Is it just me, or is she _liking_ it?" I asked.

"She's been doing that ever since you landed on her." Seiryu spoke out in dry tone.

**"My~"** The [Alraune] spoke out in a sultry tone. **"Aren't you quite the bold one?"**

"Are you willing to join me?" I asked politely in a pained expression.

**"Only if we can take it~"** She moaned. **"To the next~level!"**

... My brain has crashed.

Did you know that I have a monster girl fetish?

As much as I want to jump her bones right now, I am a practitioner of TPL (Time, Place, and Location).

"After you join me, sweetie." I stated. "But first, we need to take care some shit."

I slowly get up from her and register into my [Summon] right before I pick up my skull-mask and place it around my head.

"Now then..." I look around the now-partially devastated [Southwest Village]. "[Summon-Alraune]."

The plant chick's head then appears from Grimm's pages.

"You need something, darling?" She asked in non-reverberating voice.

"This town seems to be under a famine due poor harvests." I stated. "You mind checking their fields to see if something's going on?"

"Just take me there and thou shall be received!"

I then ask the village elder (after apologizing for the damages), where the fields were, and he took me there along with a few other villagers came with me.

"... By the way, where's the [Spear Hero] and his whole harem?" I asked Byakko.

He then points towards the tree by the village gates, tied by their ankles and hung upside down, all of them covered in bruises and bumps, _all_ of them now wearing burlap t-shirts labeled **_"I tried to destroy this village with a [Mutant Seed] and all I got was this lame-ass t-shirt"_**.

"... How long was I out?" I asked.

"You weren't out for long." [Alraune] stated. "It's just that your party members work really fast."

**"The she-devil is right, foolish one."** I heard [Archangel]. **"... And this one has no reservations of punishing those infidels that dared to ravage this land, unintentional or otherwise. That and you at least you apologized."**

"You have mind-reading powers, don't you?" I asked.

**"This one is a servant of the one, true, God."** The [Archangel] addressed. **"... And for the record, this one is utterly confused by your infatuation with the [Alraune]."**

"Hey man, don't judge."

My party and the villagers arrive at the barren fields.

"Alright, ummm..." I trailed out. "... What should I call you?"

"Anything you want, darling~!" She responded.

Then something pops up.

**[Enter Name]**

... I hope she likes it.

**[Strelitzia]**

"I love it!" She called out in joy. "From now on, call upon thy name of Strelitzia, and I shall answer! I await the day, darling!"

"Alright, Strelitzia." I called out. "Let's check the dirt."

Strelitzia then roots herself into the dirt, and begins shifting her vines and roots around the earth.

"... Ugh." The [Alraune] grimaced. "Darling... the dirt tastes awful."

I then plunge my arm into the dirt and start digging.

My hand then cups a patch of dirt riddled with white spots.

"What's that?" The elder asked.

My whole party then takes a look at the white-spotted soil.

"Blight." I stated. "Specifically, white fungus."

I then turn to the villagers.

"Have you been over-irrigating water into those crops?" I asked.

"N-No." The villager spoke. "The irrigation has been kept at a moderate rate."

"Did you ever try to cover the crops with tarps or any form of covers during heavy rain?"

"N-No. We thought that more water would be a good thing for the crops." The villager stated. "Especially during our recent tributes to the Capital, the increased demands have to be met so this village can secure a profit ..."

"And there was our problem." I stated. "You guys overwatered these fields so now fungi have pretty much rendered the whole field useless."

**"So the people have overindulged the earth that provides them bounty... and now the earth itself has been rot to the very core."** The [Archangel] stated.

"Ugh... so that's why it tastes like shit..." Strelitzia groaned.

"So what do we do then?" The elder asked. "How will we ever grow crops again?"

... Okay, this world doesn't have plastic to work as filters or hoses, so I guess I have to present an archaic solution.

"Dig out the bad soil." I stated. "All of it, and then use the compost pile to create a new source of soil, simply by gathering worms to feed on organic waste like food scraps and dead leaves, and as for the bad soil..."

I look at them with apologetic faces.

"... Manual labor. Grab your shovels tell everyone in the village to start digging and cart the bad soil out elsewhere." I stated. "Get carts, shovels and everyone from the village to start digging out the rotten soil, and whatever you do, make sure, right down to the last speck of soil, that there's no white fungi left, understood!?"

"Y-yes. Of course." The elder spoke out.

Eventually, the villagers then gathered around the barren fields with shovels in hand and carts pulled by filoials.

Then the whole village starts digging with Garou, Fubuki, [Archangel], and Seiryu helping them out (Genbu, too short; Suzaku, too frail for manual labor and still coughing out pollen; and me, missing one arm and have icepack on my crotch).

After an hour has passed, about an acre of land with dug out, and perfect time too.

Because my [Bird Eyes] relay and image of _Ren_ and his company approaching [Dragon Village].

"So... that's all for this village." I stated.

"So now what, Master Nan?" Suzaku asked.

"We got another friend to recruit, so go already."

I recalled both of my [Summons] back into Grimm's pages, and then we [Teleport-Beacon: Dragon Village].

Let's just hope we're there first.

**One [Teleport-Beacon: Dragon Village] later...**

Out of the flash, my party of seven/eight appear in front of an array of footprints.

"Shit!" I then summon [Chimera] and [Manticore]. "EVERYONE, GET ON!"

Me, Grimm, Byakko, and Genbu mount the white-maned [Chimera] and Garou, Fubuki, Seiryu, and Suzaku mounted the [Manticore].

We then dash towards where the explosions were coming from, indicating that the fight has begun.

I then spot a familiar-looking dog-girl running towards the explosions.

"HEY KID!" I called out.

The girl stops and looks at me riding a [Chimera].

"Who-Who are you!?" She asked.

"You're name's Wyndia and over there is a Dragon Emperor that raised you, right?"

She nods.

"Then what are you waiting for!?"

I then extend out my hand.

"GET ON!"

Wyndia then takes my hand, grabs around my waist, and dashes towards the explosions.

Come on, come on, come on, come on...

"... LET US MAKE IT!" I roared out from the bottom of my heart.

We break through the bushes, and find the dragon on its last legs as it was being laid low by Ren and his party.

"FATHER!" Wyndia called out towards the dragon.

"THIS IS THE END!" Ren then performs a jump with his sword raised in the air. "[Meteor Slash-"

"[Entangling Vines]!"

Numerous vines burst out of the ground and anchors Ren back to the earth.

"EVERYONE! DROP YOUR ARMS!" I roared out.

"ARE YOU CRAZY!?" Ren roared out. "THE DRAGON'S GOING TO KILL US ALL-"

"THAT DRAGON HAPPENS TO HAVE A CHILD!" I cut him off. "AND I BROUGHT HER WITH ME SO CAN OPEN YOUR DAMN EYES, YOU DISCOUNT KIRITO!"

"Father!" Wyndia then ran towards the dragon.

"What the hell is that filthy animal doing here!?" One of Ren's party members jeered out.

"SHUT UP, PEANUT GALLERY!"

I throw a [Dritte-Fireball] towards the area behind them, shutting them up.

I then see Wyndia hug the dragon, in which the dragon then calms down.

"Wh-what's happening?" Ren asked.

I then kneel down to his level.

"You got played by those villagers that sent you the request buddy."

Then from the other side, I then see Byakko and Seiryu dragging several villagers out from the bushes.

"The villagers?" Ren spoke out. "Nan, what's going on?"

"Allow me." I stated.

... Alright, time to go Ace Attorney.

"So... I'm assuming you fine folks are the ones that sent out that request to kill the dragon, correct?" I asked politely.

"Y-yeah." One of them stammered out. "The dragon was terrorising our village ever since it came to these mountain ranges to nest. W-we couldn't just leave it be-"

"Abep-bep-bep." I cut him off. "That's _not_ the actual reason, is it?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?" The man stated while sweating out an ocean.

"That girl over there..." I pointed towards Wyndia being guarded by Garou and Fubuki. "... You were trying to get rid of that dragon just so you can sell Wyndia to a slaver and line your own pockets, correct?"

"... You're making baseless accusation-"

Grimm then bares his teeth at the villager.

"Lie, and see what happens, I dare you." I threatened.

After much trembling and sweating, the villager snaps.

"Y-YEAH! SO WHAT!?" He cried out. "SHE'S JUST A FILTHY DEMI-HUMAN LIKE HER PARENTS! SHE SHOULD'VE DIED ALONG WITH THE REST OF HER FAMILY BACK DURING THAT BANDIT ATTACK THAT LEFT OUR VILLAGE IN SHAMBLES!"

"But why though?" I asked _without_ raising my voice. "Why would you cash her in if this village can make money other ways?"

"SHE'S A FUCKING EYESORE!" He yelled out, with his spit landing on my face. "SHE JUST HAD TO FIND THAT DRAGON, AND NOW THIS VILLAGE HAS TO TEETER ON THE BRINK OF STARVATION AFTER THE PREVIOUS WAVE! SHE IS NOT WELCOME HERE! HER ONLY PLACE IS THAT OF A SLAVER'S CAGE AND A MASTER'S BONDAGE!"

... Wow. I mean, just, wow.

I kind of knew that people weren't as enlightened in the friggin' Dung Ages, but there is a fine line between unenlightened and just plain bigoted.

"Well now." I stated. "I'm glad that we had a [Sword Hero] as our witness, am I right, champ?"

I look down on Ren, who's expression was that of _horror_.

"You brought me and my party here..." His voice trembled out. "... Just so that you guys can sell that girl to slavery!?"

"Oh c'mon, you're the [Sword Hero]." The villager spoke out. "The demi-humans are not of your concern-"

"YOU'RE TARGETING A_ CHILD_ FOR YOUR OWN GREED, YOU BASTARDS!" Ren roared out. "HAVE YOU NO DECENCY LEFT IN YOU!?"

"SHE'S A DEMI-HUMAN!" The villager shouted back. "ANY SIN DONE TO HER IS IN THE NAME OF THE [Three Cardinal Heroes], THEREFORE, IT'S NOT A SIN!"

He then picks up a rock and slings it at Wyndia's head.

*TWACK*

No words came out of my mouth.

Her body fell to the ground.

"It's her place." He stated shamelessly. "On the dirt, dead and bleeding."

Blood begins to spill from her head.

Suddenly, I go blank.

My hearing completely fades out, with me only hearing Ren's voice for his party to stop the villager, but no one but my own party took action.

And from the psychological limbo that I was experiencing, I then hear a voice.

A ghastly, whispering, and breathy-sounding voice.

Like Travis from _Killer 7_.

**Thy had unlocked the true essence of the Seven Deadly Sins.**

**No more you shall be bound to obligation and laws of man.**

**The seven keys of hell and the permit of Vanity are now yours.**

I then see my [Cursed Series] have all of their Skill texts _removed_.

**From now on, you are in charge of your own turmoil.**

**Save or hurt others, it's all up to you.**

**Because regardless of consequence, there are no take backs.**

**[Cursed Series]: Updated**

**[Wrath Conflagration], [Glutton Chasm], [Greed Graves], ****[Envy Pond], ****[Lust Pit], ****[Sloth Box], ****[Pride Peak], and ****[Vanity Blazer] have been deleted.**

**[Wrath Text 3] Added.**

**[Envy Text 1] Added.**

**[Lust Text 2] Added.**

**[Gluttony Text 1] Added.**

**[Greed Text 3] Added.**

**[Sloth Text 1] Added.**

**[Pride Text 3] Added.**

**[Vanity Text 3] Added.**

Huh, so the [Cursed Series] weren't the real deal back then...

... It seems that I wasn't angry enough to truly hate this world.

But you know what? There is a reason _why_ I hate this world.

**Corruption, Greed, Hypocrisy, Idiocity, Unenlightenment, Violence, Fear, Insanity, Racism, Classism, Bondage, Lecherousness, Sadism, Manipulation, Conentness, everything that man is deemed flawed of...**

**... I just wasn't angry enough, wasn't it?**

**Well... to put it simply, I won't explode.**

**I'll settle to turn my love, my rage, and all of my sorrow...**

**... Into an artform.**

**So that I may burn this world down, and rebuild it from its ashes.**

**Switching POV: Ren**

"... Nan?"

The cloaked [Tome Fallen] was slowly rising from the ground like a zombie.

His right hand then grabs onto something from his head.

A skull mask slips onto his face.

Ren's breathing then begins to quicken.

The skull mask, the cloak, and the subtle movement of a _serial killer_.

... It was all coming back.

During he and his girlfriend's _Bullet of Bullets_, a certain_ masked figure_ approached Ren that day.

The very day before he was murdered in his girlfriend's place willingly.

That person's name...

All Ren can do was scream in terror as the realization that his murderer was reincarnated into the same world as he was in began to singe his brain.

All he can feel was the stab wound in his chest beginning to be stabbed over and over.

All he can hear were the words filtered through his mask over and over, echoing inside his consciousness as vry his soul was being slowly chewed into _paste_.

**"_... This, is real strength, real power! Foolish people, engrave the fear these names in your hearts! This gun's name and mine: [Death Pistol]..._"**

**[DEATH GUN]**

**"**_**Never mind, whether you're a fake using his name or the real guy, someday, I'll kill you.**_**"**

**[DEATH GUN] ****[DEATH GUN]**

**"_Death Gun is my name and the name of my gun. One day I'll pay you all a visit too and bring real death with this gun. You've seen my power, it is real. This isn't over, not yet. I'm just getting started. It's showtime_."**

**[DEATH GUN] ****[DEATH GUN] ****[DEATH GUN]**

**"_... and you'll lie on the ground as I kill the girl._"**

**[DEATH GUN] ****[DEATH GUN] ****[DEATH GUN] ****[DEATH GUN]**

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Took me only five days to finish this crap. Gave Ren PTSD. Wyndia just got her head slungshot by a brick.

Prepare the bodybags.

* * *

**Stat Updates:**

* * *

**Name: [Fallen Hero], [Nan Hon-Jah]**

**Class: [Tome Fallen]**

**Level: 42**

**Affinities****: [All Eight Elements]**

**Alignment****: Neutral Evil**

**Equipment: [Forbidden Tome, Grimm the Heretic], [Iron Rune of Defiance], [Chthonian Cloak], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Portable Dragon's Hourglass], [Necromancer's Visage], [Mountaineer's Boots]**

**Attack: 57 (+45)**

**Defense: 53 (+35)**

**Agility: 52 (+30)**

**Luck: 55 (-30)**

**HP: 450 (+25)**

**MP: 570 (+200)**

* * *

**Name: [Garou]**

**Class: [Slave Brawler]**

**Level: 42**

**Affinities****: [Dark]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment****: [Assassin's Leather Armor], [Nightshroud], [Blade Gauntlets****], [Primal Claws], [Katars]**

**Attack: 51 (+50)**

**Defense: 39 (-20)**

**Agility: 46 (+65)**

**Luck: 32 (+20)**

**HP: 485 (-20)**

**MP: 185 (-100)**

* * *

**Name: [Fubuki]**

**Class: [Slave Monk]**

**Level: 43**

**Affinities****: [Ice]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment****: [Twilight Gunstaff], [Darkbane Gauntlets], [Twilight Cloak], [Twilight Hunter's Hood], [Mana Medallion]**

**Attack: 48 (+45)**

**Defense: 36 (+30)**

**Agility: 43 (+25)**

**Luck: 36 (+20)**

**HP: 340 (-50)**

**MP: 555 (+150)**

* * *

**Name: [Byakko]**

**Class: [Cleric]**

**Level: 39**

**Affinities****: [Fire], [Lightning], [Light]**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Equipment: [Medic's Scalpels], [Faithful Suit], [Blessed Silver Chainmail], [Basic Medical Aid Utility Belt]**

**Attack: 41 (+5)**

**Defense: 35 (+5)**

**Agility: 45 (+15)**

**Luck: 34 (+5)**

**HP: 360 (+50)**

**MP: 360 (+50)**

* * *

**Name: [Genbu]**

**Class: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Affinities****: None**

**Alignment: ?**

**Equipment: [Wayward Nomad's Garbs], [Silver Pocket Watch & Chain] (also referred to as [Silver Pocketwatch]), [Silver Sword], [Fafnir's Flametongue]**

**Attack: ?**

**Defense: ?**

**Agility: ?**

**Luck: 9,999**

**HP: ?**

**MP: ?**

* * *

**Name: [Seiryu]**

**Class: [Tyrera Queen Fighter]**

**Level: 33**

**Affinities****: [Water]**

**Alignment: True Neutral**

**Equipment: [Steel Bludgeon], [Barbarian Armor], [Barbarian Helm], [Berserk Rune], [Berserker's Mantle], [Chimera Teeth Necklace]**

**Attack: 35 (+70)**

**Defense: 33 (+35)**

**Agility: 17 (+20)**

**Luck: 10 (-10)**

**HP: 460 (+200)**

**MP: 30 (+20)**

* * *

**Name: [Suzaku]**

**Class: [Filolial King Rouge]**

**Level: 33**

**Affinities****: [Fire]**

**Alignment: True Neutral**

**Equipment: [Vermilion Robes], [Rouge's Cowl], [Mark of the Apex Predator], [Celestial Rune of Protection], [Mark of the Godspeed], [Mark of the Shadow Dancer], [Mark of the Apostle]**

**Attack: 46 (+20)**

**Defense: 5 (+5)**

**Agility: 55 (+50)**

**Luck: 48 (+20)**

**HP: 70 (+20)**

**MP: 70 (+20)**

* * *

So what do you think of this Epic?

Leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience are thinking!


	13. Epic 13: The Depths Part 1

**_Continuing self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_Season 1 has just ended._**

**_Finger Count: 5/10_**

**_Eye Count: 1/2_**

**_Sanity Meter: 22%_**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

_**Chapter 13: The Depths Part 1**_

* * *

**"You know..."** I spoke out under the growing influence of my revamped [Cursed Series].** "... I could've just left you all alone after I've the dragon and the girl elsewhere, but you just had to go the extra mile on your douchebaggery, and again prove me wrong that you people of Melromarc are actually decent."**

My right hand then shoots towards his neck, lifting him up into the air.

**"Congrats, jagoff."** I stated.** "Out of all the things you've probably done in your whole fucking life, that one deserved a fucking medal. Your parents must be really proud."**

My grip around the man's throat begins to_ tighten_.

**"So be lamb and tell them I said 'hey'."**

*SNAP*

The villager then goes limp.

... So, regarding on my feelings of me being under the [Cursed Series]'s influence.

It wasn't so bad, actually. In fact, it's the same kind of feeling back during my time at juvie.

Almost got shanked, bleached someone's eyes, got out early on good behavior, basically, from that moment when I had to take therapy and the cruelty of reality kicks me in dick hard as it can...

... I was a developing misanthrope back in my old world, but upon being whisked away into this hellhole, let's just say that my "progress" just took a _really bad_ relapse.

And for the reason why I have all [Seven Deadly Sins]?

Allow me to elaborate;

**[Wrath]: I cannot stand the sight of this disgusting world.**

**[Greed]: I will plunder and pillage their possessions just to sate my material needs.**

**[Sloth]: I'm a busy man, so I'll do whatever it takes to get the job done quickly as possible, consequences and ethics be damned.**

**[Gluttony]: I have an appetite for sadism that I want to keep indulging it just for self-gratification.**

**[Envy]: I am jealous of other people being genuinely happier than me, whereas I continue to toil away into nothing.**

**[Lust]: I shall realish the day when all the evil and wicked burn in my hands, begging for mercy as they crumble cell by cell.**

**[Pride]: I look down upon this whole world for being unable to be enlightened out of its sense of self-entitlement, and no one here, not the people, not the authorities, not the cutthroats, and not even the damned heroes meet my expectations.**

**[Vanity]: But even though I know what I'm doing is wrong, I still do it because I refuse to think otherwise.**

Simply put?

... I'm _no_ hero.

I was _never_ meant to be a hero. For I've long accepted that I'm an_ illegal_ existence.

I _hate_ the fact that I was born.

I _want_ the things above my place.

I _refuse_ to take my time with time.

I _loathe_ the fact that others are happier than me.

I _indulge_ in the people receiving their just desserts.

I_ pity_ the unenlightened and the moronic masses that populate our species.

And I _refuse_ to believe otherwise.

So _run_, you cretins.

... Just make it worthwhile for_ all_ of us.

Because this one, is super _petty_.

**Switching POV: Byakko**

"Hang in there..." The butler plead as he wrapped the dog-girl's bleeding head with the torniquete from his [Basic Medical Aid Utility Belt].

For the most part, the bleeding had stopped, but the rest of the [Sword Hero]'s party resumed their attack against the wounded dragon.

_"... Are they so blind to the prospect of EXP and gold that they all fail to see the bigger picture?"_ Byakko thought.

The dragon meanwhile, coils around the whole party, shielding them from the attacks with its body.

_"I have to hurry, and fast."_ Byakko then rolls up his sleeves and begins to cast [High Healing] towards the dragon and the girl.

"SHIT! THE [Tome Hero]'s PARTY ARE ON THE DRAGON'S SIDE!"

"KILL THEM WITH THE DRAGON!"

"THEY ALL HAVE BOUNTIES OF 24 MILLION ON THEIR HEADS EACH!"

Byakko then sees a [Rouge] cut the [Sword Hero] free from his [Entangling Vines].

"C'MON, SIR HERO!" The [Rouge] cried out. "YOU NEED TO LAND THE FINISHING BLOW-"

In a blink of an eye, Garou kicks through the [Rouge]'s stomach, with his leg protruding from the hole formed.

Ren, however, was too shaken by his master's revelation to even lift his head and notice that one of his party members are dead, let alone his [Legendary Sword].

**Switching POV: Ren**

_It was two days after they were announced of their imprisonment inside of this game. _

_Ren was aimlessly wandering around [Floor 1] killing [Wolves] and [Boars], desperately trying to keep up with the breakneck pace of this death game that they've all unwillingly walked into._

_Day after day, it was grinding for levels in hopes of survival._

_This seemingly endless dance of tedium was slowly turning his perception of this so-called virtual world much alike the world outside._

_Another insignificant cog within a system beyond comprehension, with the only thing he can do is to keep going and hope that he lives another day._

_Then by the time that the others were about to face the [Kobold Lord], Ren himself was decently leveled enough to surely survive a boss encounter._

_... It was wishful thinking._

_A squadron of [Kobolds] completely overwhelm him after he tries to take them on all on his own._

_But, a certain player saved him from becoming another casualty._

_He didn't catch who the player that saved him was, for he was too fixated on the pair of players that were overwhelming the boss with perfect coordination and blinding speed._

_Their names were [Kirito] and [Asuna]._

_"I will reach them." He promised. "I won't be weak again!"_

_And as he looked around for the cloaked person that saved him, he couldn't find that person anywhere._

_"... And one day, I'll find you."_

**Switching POV: Back to 1st Person**

**"Okay, which one of you jagoffs wants die first?"**

And being the cowards they are, all of them run.

**"Eh eh eh. Naughty naughty."**

I open Grimm's pages and see a azure-colored text scribble onto it.

**"[Envy Text]."**

The air around the whole village becomes that of a late-night blizzard as my body underneath my robes are now scribbled with glowing-blue texts that are cold to the touch.

Then, as if the whole world was out to ruin my thunder (When doesn't it do it?), a message from "BB-Chan" pops up.

**[Fun Fact]: Your new [-Text] Skills**

**How is my little update patch on your skills?**

**I thought that the old skills were, shall we say, a little generic.**

**So, to match your theming, I decided to implement an entirely new set of [Cursed Series] just for shits and giggles.**

**So the [-Text]...**

**Each sin has an element coinciding with the [Eight Elements], which then it's then implanted into the user's body, and here are the following:**

**[Wrath]: [Fire]**

**[Envy]: [Ice]**

**[Sloth]: [Water]**

**[Lust]: [Wind]**

**[Greed]: [Lightning]**

**[Gluttony]: [Earth]**

**[Pride]: [Light]**

**[Vanity]/[Despair]: [Dark]**

**Each element can now be inputted a [Command] that can allow you to meld and mold each element into any customized spell to your liking.**

**Word limit? Intricacy? Existence of said spell?**

**Bullshit, go nuts soul brotha'.**

**Note: I will not be held responsible if you get fossilized, immolated, frostbite, dizziness, psychotic breakdown, extreme fatigue, blindness, or lethal seizures from overuse.**

**That's on you, buddy.**

... I'll make it quick.

**[Enter Command]**

A holographic keyboard appears right in front of me.

**[Create wall surrounding the whole Dragon Village]**

**[Arctic Fortress]**

Then walls of ice appear around the whole village, trapping everyone inside.

So that's what it meant by custom spells. I like it.

**"... Hold still."**

They don't and begin charging at me with whatever crap they can pick up and maim me with.

**[Rain down boulders of ice]**

**[Glacier Rain]**

Then mini-glaciers come raining down upon their heads and making them go *splat*.

I then feel something on me going a little... numb.

**"... Why are my fingers turning black?"**

A villager sucker-punches me with a brick to the back of my head, and which then it knocks me down, and everyone present kicking me where I lie.

... My soul in middle school.

Helpless.

Powerless.

Hopeless.

It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts-

**"[Wrath Text]."**

The eldritch icy texts written all over my body run blood-red, now hot enough to cook meat on it, causing the villagers to keel back.

** [Explosion]**

... I swear, everyone surrounding me and kicking me were sent flying, and the surround areas quickly catch fire.

On the plus side, I can at least feel my fingers again.

... Along with my broken rib.

**"[High Healing]..."**

... Nothing.

Oh come on, I locked out of using other Skills!?

**Game balancing, buddy.**

**Heal on your own.**

... Does cauterizing heal broken bones?

Actually, you know what?

... I'll just work through the pain.

I then spot the villager that sucker punched me with a loose brick.

**"Hi."**

He then comes charging at me with a _spoon_.

Then at that moment, I then recall a certain conversations from a man named Jack.

_Handsome Jack_.

_**"City's burning, people dying left and right, yadda yadda yadda. This jackhole rushes me with a spoon. A fricking spoon! And I'm dying laughing, right? So I scoop out his stupid little eyeballs with it, and his kids are all, 'waaahh!', and he can't see where he's going, he's bumping into stuff, and ah.. I don't know, maybe you had to be there. The moral is: you're a total bitch."**_

... Close enough.

Explains why there's a bloody silverware in my hands (how did a villager afford this?), and his supposed kids running for their fucking lives.

**"I should probably stop..."** I mused.** "... But then again, these people make the _Los Illuminados_ look _hospitable_ in comparison." **

Time to die.

**[Hellfire Twister]**

A black-flame tornado begins whirling around the village, sucking everyone in, and cooking them alive.

"... kid..."

Their screams of pain and suffering get me all hot and bothered.

"Kid..."

... I think I'm going _evil_, and I_ love_ it-

**"KID!"**

My [Necromancer's Visage] slips off of my face, and I suddenly snap out of what kind of funk that I was in, only to see Grimm right in front me.

My knees give out from the sheer shock as my [Cursed Series] subsides from my soul, like if a lead weight was lifted off of my back.

"... Hey Grimm." I mumbled out. "... What happened to me?"

**"Aside from your little power high?"** Grimm stated.** "Your entire right cheek just had been burned off."**

I touch the right side of my face.

"... Am I supposed to feel my teeth and gums _outside_ of my face?"

The sound of the ice walls crumbling down drown out my screams of horror and agony.

"GAH! FUCK, IT HURTS!" I cried out. "MY MOUTH FEELS SO BREEZY! I'M TASTING ASH AND FLAMES FROM MY RIGHT-"

Grimm slams himself down on top of my head.

"... Thanks." I stated. "I needed that."

"Just get back to where the others are." Grimm stated.

I slowly get back on my feet and begin stumbling back to where the dragon was at.

"Hey..." I asked. "... How did it all come to this?"

**"... Can't help you there, buddy."** Grimm stated.** "That was all on you."**

"I know, but..." I hesitated. "Can I really justify my madness on the grounds that they completely deserved it?"

**"Don't ask me."** Grimm stated. **"As far as I'm concerned, they started the fire long before we were even here."**

"So the least we can do is to put it out completely, right?" I replied.

**"Not 'we', buddy."**

Grimm then picks up an intact pitchfork from an untouched part of the village.

**"They got the blood of that kid's parents on their hands."** Grimm stated.** "So I think she's earned the right to wash her hands in theirs."**

I smiled, with a grim satisfaction of closure soothing my soul in the worst way imaginable.

"... Fair enough."

I then spot a villager digging up something from a tree's roots and pulls out a locked box.

He unlocks it, and pulls out a [Matchlock Pistol].

"... I think he's trying to shoot it." I pointed at the villager trying to pull the trigger with no charge igniting.

Yep. Unenlightened.

How I utterly pity that fool.

"[Bite]."

Grimm bites his head off, and the headless body falls dead.

I then look down at the box on the floor, revealing a powder horn, a batch of musket balls, and gun cleaning tools.

"Sonofabitch didn't even knew how to load the damn thing..." I muttered.

Well on the plus side...

"... I hope Wyndia likes her very first weapon."

I retrieve the gun from the dead man's fingers, and [Summon-Troll Defender] to carry me the rest of the way there.

**"Boss?"** The troll asked. **"Why do you smell like burnt meat? And what happened to your face?"**

"That is my self-decency smoldering to ash, dude." I answered weakly. "... Also, never asked for your name, didn't I?"

**"[Trolls] don't have names."** [Troll Defender] stated. **"All [Trolls] only have knowledge how to survive out in wild."**

"I see..." I stated. "Then how about if I give your tribespeople names?"

Then [Troll Berserker], [Troll Shaman], and [Troll Chieftain] pop out of Grimm's pages.

**"YOU MEAN THAT!?"** All four [Trolls] asked.

Then all of the sudden, every single of my [Summons] pop out of Grimm's pages, including [Roc], who topples over trees upon landing.

**"REALLY!?"** They all said in unison.

... Oh boy.

Like Pokemon, baby.

I'll skip over the process and just provide a list of named [Summons] as we walked our way back:

**[Spike Balloons]: [Cue]**

**[Gas Balloons]: [Eight]**

**[Bird Eyes]: [Dystopia]**

**[Failed Homunculus Types A-C]: [Alpha], [Beta], [Chi]**

**[Perfected Homunculus]: [Doppio]**

**[Manticore]: [Baraka]**

**[Troll Berserker, ****Defender, ****Shaman****, ****Chieftain****]: [Haschel], ****[Kongol]****, ****[Meru]****, ****[Dart]**

**[Roc]: [Aabidah]**

**[Skeleton Fighter, Mage, Rouge, & Ogre]: [Break], [Bend], [Snap], [Crunch]**

**[Undead Locusts]: [Chip]**

**[Chimera]: [Iliad]**

**[Archangel]: [Ishmael]**

**[Eggug]: [Eggo]**

**[Jackalope]: [Dream]**

**[Zombie Fighter, Mage, Rouge, Cleric]: [Step], [Hop], [Dance], [Stay]**

**[Alraune]: [Strelitzia]**

"[Auto-Summon] Skill, learned." My HUD announced.

**Skill: [Auto-Summon]**

**Type: [Passive]**

**Rarity: [Mythril]**

**[Summon] Skill no longer requires full incantation. Stating their name will [Summon] named [Summon] automatically.**

For the first time in my life, I felt like I was close to someone in my life.

Not only as friends and family.

But as pieces of my soul that was shattered in my previous life.

Guess they were right.

I suck at relating with other people.

... But nobody said anything about _monsters_, right?

And speaking of people...

"Haschel, Kongol, Meru, Dart..." I ordered. "The villagers..."

The four turned their heads towards me.

"... Bring _all_ of them to me, _alive_."

**Switching POV: Wyndia**

Pain.

Numb.

Dizziness.

Stuffy.

_"She's waking up!"_ A gruff man's voice called out.

_"Come now, slowly."_ A serene man's voice called to her.

Wyndia slowly opens her eyes, her blurry vision and ringing ears slowly making sense of what's going on around her.

"... Father?"

She hears Gaelion's roar resonate throughout the air over the sounds of magic being fired onto him.

"FATHER!" She cried out as loud as she could.

Gaelion roars louder upon hearing his adopted daughter's cry.

"SHIT! THE DRAGON AIN'T DYING!"

"IT'S THE GIRL! SHE'S THE ONE MAKING IT BECOME STRONGER!"

"THEN KILL THE GIRL FIRST!"

"Those bastards..." The white-haired man bit out. "... Have they no shame killing an innocent child as long as it's not one of their own!?"

"Who gives." The wolf-demi-human pointed out.

He then bangs his fist together, creating sparks from them clashing.

"They're all out for her blood, so we'll let you kill them instead." The wolf-eared man stated. "I heard your name was Wyndia, right?"

"H-how do you all know my name?" She asked.

The fox-eared girl next to the wolf-demi-human turns her head with a smile.

"Because we're here to change this world."

The two then run out towards the battlefield.

Wyndia tries to look over the edge, but a squat, black-skinned creature with a pair of goggles over his leather cap stops her.

"Leave the fighting to us, alright?" The creature said. "Name's Genbu, and whitey over there's Byakko."

"Pleasure to introduce ourselves." Byakko bowed. "Now shall we-"

Several arrows strike his neck, causing Wyndia to scream.

"Worry not." The struck albino stated while plucking off the arrows from his throat.

The arrow wounds begin to heal instantaneously.

"My Passive, [Undying Will], let me regenerate 75% of my HP when I'm attacked." The butler stated. "I'm also a trained [Cleric], second to none when it comes to my talents as combat support, and as butler to the [Tome Hero], I shall not perish until my master says otherwise."

He then extends out both of his hands.

"Now hold still, I still need to heal your head wound." Byakko stated. "Even though it might leave a scar."

The girl holds herself still as the albino man begins to cast [High Healing] towards her.

**Switching POV: Garou and Fubuki**

The two demi-human twins were practically messing with the [Sword Hero]'s party at this point.

Only two were killed, and rest were basically meatsacks-in-making, and that was only because the two allowed them to live.

"And these idiots think they kill a dragon, let alone us." Garou pointed out. "You mind telling us why do you think that you even stand a chance against us?"

"It's because..." A [Cleric] answered. "... The [Hero] is on our side."

"As long as the [Hero] is with us..." A female [Fighter] breathed out. "... We will be by his side until the bitter end."

"And until that day comes..." An aged [Mage] heaved out. "... We will help the [Hero] save this world from the [Waves]!"

"But what of the [Shield Hero]?" Fubuki coldly pointed out. "Even though he's disgraced, surely he can held to the same standard."

"All that matters to us is the [Sword Hero]!" The [Cleric] cried out. "You filthy bandits will never understand!"

"But do you all matter to _him_?" Garou brought up. "If that were the case, then shouldn't he snap out of his little funk and come save your asses?"

"Because if you don't..."

Behind the dragon appeared four [Trolls], in their arms holding the villagers hostage.

"... I can assure you, the [Sword Hero] won't even remember your faces." Fubuki stated coldly. "But if he does..."

"... Then we don't give two shits."

The two then turn their back on the [Sword Hero]'s party.

"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE US!" The female [Fighter] cried out. "[Mighty Blow-"

"[Frost Trap]."

Fubuki encases the [Fighter] in an icicle.

"... Do we kill the rest, brother?" Fubuki asked.

"No." Garou answered.

He then cracks his knuckles.

"Cripple em'."

Garou disappears into the shadows and the sounds of bones snapping were heard behind Fubuki.

Garou then drags the armless and legless party members of the [Sword Hero] towards where Nan and the villagers were.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st Person**

"Thank you." I thanked Garou for dragging the half-alive party members towards me.

"We know what you're going to do Nan." Garou stated while glancing at Wyndia. "Just make it quick."

"Tally ho."

I then walk towards the trembling Wyndia.

"Hey." I greeted. "How ya doing?"

The girl nods.

"Well, before get started..."

I then look up at the [Dragon Emperor].

**Gaelion**

**Father of the Year (5 consecutive years)**

"You mind if I... teach your baby girl of... 'the ways'?"

The [Dragon Emperor] looks down with the eyes saying "prove your worth in kombat".

"Alright then..." Is stated. "... And let me guess, on my own, right?"

The [Dragon Emperor] nods.

Alright then...

"... Byakko, [Intermediate Health Potion]."

He tosses me a small bottle of red, I down it in one gulp, and my HP goes back to normal, and my exposed molars are now clear of burns.

"Everyone else, get back." I ordered.

"M-mister!" I heard Wyndia. "Wh-what are doing!?"

I smiled at her.

"Proving my worth to your dad."

**Name: [Dragon Emperor, Gaelion]**

**Class: [Boss Encounter]**

**Level: 40**

**Affinity: [Fire]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Item Drops: [Dragon Scales x20] (100%), [Emperor's Core] (1%)**

**Attack: 40**

**Defense: 50**

**Agility: 45**

**Luck: 40**

**HP: 500**

**MP: 500**

How the exact hell Ren took that bastard on down to its last legs!?

Even worse, after going apeshit with my [Cursed Series], I _leveled down_ by 3 levels, with my stats taking a hit as well.

... Then again, power levels in this world are bullshit (Vegeta, DBZA).

Then it comes spitting fire at me.

"[Full Coating]!"

The flames engulf around my rainbow-colored veil, toasting the surrounding area to waste.

"... Huh, so that's why there's a clearing on this whole damn hill."

"[Dragonbreath] Skill, learned." My HUD announced.

Seeing that the flames didn't cook me alive, it then comes at me with his claws.

"[Nil Coating]!"

My monochrome veil protects me from taking damage, but unlike Motoyasu's pathetic attempts of skewering me.

... Let's just say that there's a reason why **Force = Mass x Speed**.

Thank god I didn't break my back upon ripping through the trees, let alone, my exposed teeth.

**"You alright, buddy?"** I heard Grimm.

"[Dragon Claw] Skill learned." MY HUD stated.

"Never better..." I moaned out.

Yeah.

I must reiterate this.

Stats and levels do not matter if your veins are on fire, let alone, if said force of a runaway train is applied onto you.

**"By the way, the dragon is coming."**

The feeling of the earth on my back trembling from Gaelion's footsteps.

I pick myself up from the dirt and ready my offensive.

"[Dritte-Smite]!"

A giant ball of light is shot towards the [Dragon Emperor].

The ball explodes like a flashbang, blinding both me and the dragon at the same time.

Bad idea, really bad idea.

"OH FUCK IT BURNS!" I cried out.

**"KID! TO YOUR 9!"**

I jump towards my left, only to feel something _scaly_ around my right arm.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that what I was grabbing on was Gaelion's forearm.

"... Grimm. [Garrote] around his arm."

I then hear the chains brace themselves around me and the dragon's arm.

"Alright..."

Then I begin to gather mana and hopefully don't make it explode on me.

"[Dritte-Spectrum]!"

Concentrate, concentrate, concentrate, concentrate...

... The mana was about to explode.

I was about to panic, only to recall me little "rampage" a couple minutes ago.

_"C'mon Nan."_ I told myself. _"If you can't even control this spell that makes you unique, then the [Cursed Series] will take whatever's left of your humanity like Hyakkimaru in Dororo."_

Alright, methods of control. How can I meld my mana with it coming out at this much of a volume?

What is mana?

... A dancing pyre.

... A flowing water.

... A gentle breeze.

... A sprouting earth.

... A rumbling thunder.

... A frozen pond.

... A firefly's glow.

... A dusk sky.

All of them, all of them going at their own pace of dynamics.

Mana, the principle of dynamics of natural energy.

And like all forms of energy, it cannot be controlled fully, but it can properly utilized.

Benjamin Franklin conquered mankind's fear of lightning, and long before that, man had discovered fire, and learned of its dual nature of heal and hurt.

Water turning into hydraulic energy, light and darkness were now but mere stages of time.

Ice was now defined as absence of energy, and earth's mysteries are slowly being disambiguated under the laws of tectonics.

Speed, versatility, dynamics, transition, quantity, dynamics...

... Balance.

That was the key the whole time!

Previously, I've used [Spectrum] under desperation, letting my [All Eight Elements] run wild this whole time.

Now?

"I have to tame this wild horse known as my powers, otherwise, I'll have to kiss my head goodbye." I muttered.

Think of a shape...

... A sphere.

Gonna have to do what every 12-year-otaku's gotta do.

... And pull a muthafuckin' _Rasengan_.

My eye opens, seeing the following:

Gaelion's mouth about to spit fire onto me.

And my [Dritte-Spectrum] spell now being a concentrated mass of mana taking the form of a sphere.

**"KID!"** I heard Grimm.

I smiled.

**"IT'S DO OR DIE!" **We said in unison.

With Grimm's chains around my right arm acting as extra muscles, me and Grimm thrust the rainbow-colored sphere into the dragon's chest.

And together, we roared out the new skill that I-no.

We, came up with.

With my intellect and Grimm's guidance through labyrinth known as my mind, together, we've accomplished something that I wouldn't be able to achieve on my own.

And that, was the word, "Balance".

**"[Spectrum Break]!"**

Upon impact, Grimm releases his chains around Gaelion's arm, and both me and Grimm along with Gaelion were sent back flying away from each other.

I break through another tree, and the [Dragon Emperor]'s HP was now in the red.

"[Spectrum] Skill has now been replaced by [Spectrum Break]." My HUD messaged.

A [Chimera] picks me up by the teeth and takes me back to the clearing where the [Dragon Emperor] was at.

"So..." I heaved out. "... Am I worthy?"

The dragon weakly nods.

"... Alright then, but before I make you join me, can I take your daughter with you?" I asked.

The dragon nods once more.

"... Hidy ho, then."

One [Capture] later, and [Dragon Emperor, Gaelion] has been added to my [Summons].

"Now then..." I then turned back to where the villagers and the jackhole adventurers were at. "... Anyone tried anything funny?" I asked Garou.

He then points to the two villagers, both of their elbows and knees bending the _wrong way_.

"Well on the plus side, at least they ain't going anywhere..." I grimly muttered.

Then I head towards the predisposed [Sword Hero], now free of his bindings but still dead-eyed.

"Master, should we dispose of him?" Byakko stated while taking out his knives.

"Negative." I stated.

I then draw out my [Sacrificial Dagger], and plunge that sucker into his chest.

"[Invoke]."

Ren jolts awake, his whole convulsing as his internal powers are slowly being awakened from their prison known as "societal obligations".

"I hope he likes little gift I left for him..." I mused as I slowly slipped the demonic dagger out of his slowly-closing chest wound.

Ren's eyes go back to normal, signifying that he was now awake.

**Switching POV: Ren**

He felt a stinging sensation on his chest.

Not just because it was stabbed.

But something dark within him, was awakened inside of him.

"... What the hell?" Ren muttered as a new message was written in his HUD.

**[Cursed Series] Unlocked**

**[Wrath Sword 2] Added.**

**[Envy Sword 2] Added.**

**[Lust Sword 2] Added.**

**[Gluttony Sword 1] Added.**

**[Sloth Sword 1] Added.**

**[Pride Sword 2] Added.**

**[Despair Sword 2] Added.**

"[Entangling Vines]."

Multiple vines tie his arms and legs to the ground.

"Now then..." Nan stated. "Before I make your face look like that you've headbutted a belt-sander, I need to set up a few things."

Nan gestures his head towards the twin demi-humans to line up the villagers in a row.

"Now Wyndia." Nan spoke to the dog-eared girl. "I take it that they're the ones who tried to cart you off to a local slaver, correct?"

The girl nods.

"And I'm assuming that they're the ones who hired the bandits that killed your parents in the first place, which even though said bandits sacked their whole village, it doesn't change the fact that they have your family's blood on their hands, correct?"

The begins heaving as she continues to nod.

Ren then sees Nan nod at the red-haired boy in Chinese robes.

The boy then stakes his fingers into a villager's back, causing him to scream in pain, right before he was tossed out of the encirclement.

"As you can see, his spine was now severed from the waist down, meaning that he won't be able to run."

Ren then sees Nan hand the girl a [Pitchfork].

"Now." Nan stated. "I want you to kill that sonofabitch that was partially responsible for murdering your parents, and nearly forsaking you into a fate worse than death."

"S-STOP IT!" Ren cried out. "SHE'S INNOCENT!"

Garou then walks up to Ren, and jabs his chest, punching the air out of his lungs.

"Oh shut up." The wolf-eared [Brawler] spat out. "Of course she is innocent, which is why she's going to punish the guilty."

"She's only a kid..." Ren tearfully begged. "... Please Nan. Don't do this."

He then hears Nan sigh out in annoyance.

"Ren, let me ask you a million-dollar-question." Nan stated. "Just what kind of world do you think you're in?"

Ren tries to come up with an answer.

"A world... that I have to save." Ren answered.

"And what are you trying to save this world from?" Nan continued.

"The [Waves-"

"Wrong answer."

A swift kick strikes across Ren's face, knocking out a few of his molars.

"Admit it." Nan stated. "You think this world runs on VRMMO logic."

Ren could only cough out the blood in his mouth.

"I'll give you a little reality check: it ain't like that, brotha."

A knee strikes his nose like a battering ram.

"Tell me, say that you planned to kill that Dragon." Nan went on. "If you killed that dragon, what were you planning to do with afterwards? Harvest it? Eat it? Or just leave it as a landmark to your little sense of self-aggrandization for others to see? And no, thinking that it'll disappear into pixels ain't gonna fly, brotha."

The last statement caught his attention.

"... Then what happens... if I just... leave it there?" Ren asked.

"Well now, Mr. Einstein..." Nan sarcastically stated. "If you've left it to rot... well, you know how decomposition works? Surely, you must've learned at Biology, right?"

... Ren faintly recalls getting a D in Biology.

"Well, allow me to reeducate you." Nan stated. "Decomposition is a natural process where a dead organism is slowly broken down to dirt through age, erosion, and other fauna devouring it piece by piece. However, when considering the size of said dragon, and the fantastical elements such as its [Emperor] status, that brings up two things."

"A, the dragon's rotting corpse will become an infestation ground to various kinds of diseases, plagues, parasites, and whatever kinds of things that crawl under your skin and make you hurl."

"And B, combined with this world's nonsensical laws of magic and its fauna, there will be a chance that said [Dragon Emperor], would transform into a [Dragon Zombie], resulting your so-called efforts to be in vain, and as a result, more people will die with even more suffering needlessly, and as far as I'm concerned of the scope of this whole dumpster fire of a mess?"

Nan then jerks Ren's face towards Nan's heavily-scarred own.

"Either Naofumi would have to come along and wipe your ass along with theirs later on, or me exterminating the root of the whole damn shabang as of now." Nan snarled. "... But tell me, does the following sound... _familiar_?"

Nan then leans down towards Ren's face with a psychotic-looking grin.

"As you are a [Hero], we of people need you to fight the [Waves], so henceforth, I the King, shall not execute you."

... He then recalls those similar words being said to_ Naofumi_.

"... How do you know that?" Ren asked.

Nan smiles while picking up the same bloodstained rock that one of the villagers threw at the girl.

He then turns around and gags Ren's mouth with the same rock.

"That, is a story for another day." Nan stated. "In the meantime, I hope you enjoy our current presentation. Byakko, Genbu, make sure our guest of honor doesn't miss a single moment."

The albino butler forces his eyelids open, while a black [Gremlin] kept the rock in his mouth with his stubby hands.

"Suzaku, keep watch."

The red-haired boy stands vigil over the whole situation.

"And Fubuki..."

Nan turns around to find the paralyzed villager had both of his arms snapped in two.

"... Make sure no one else tries anything stupid." Nan stated. "For their own good."

The snow-white-haired girl nods as her grip around her staff tightened.

"Now then..."

Nan then guides the girl's hand towards the man's back.

"The pointy end goes in." Nan instructed. "Poke hard here, and blood will start coming out."

The girl hesitates.

"This isn't just about your parents anymore, Wyndia." Nan stated. "This is about you."

The girl starts hyperventilating.

"They left you alone to die."

The girl's grip began to tremble.

"They tried to take what little else you had left."

Tears began seeping from her eyes.

"And if you let them live, they come back and take more!" Nan roared out.

"I'-I'm sorry!" The villager begged. "Please, just spare me-"

"SHOW NO MERCY!" Nan roared over the man's pleas. "SUCH IS THE FATE OF COWARDS!"

Wyndia then stabs the man's neck with a roar, spraying blood all over her face.

She kept stabbing the squirming man to death as more blood gushed onto her clothes and face.

And after then ninth, the man was dead.

"So..." Nan spoke to the blood-splattered girl. "... How did it feel?"

"... I feel good." Wyndia giggled.

That giggle then turns into laughter of psychotic euphoria.

"I DID IT!" Wyndia cried out to the heavens. "MOM! DAD! I DID IT! I AVENGED YOUR DEATHS!"

Then from the encirclement, a child runs out towards the girl, with stick and fist as arms.

The girl, however, takes notice, and stabs the boy in the chest, mid-charge.

"Well?" Nan spoke to Wyndia. "What did you learn from that little surprise lesson?"

"... Kill them before they kill you." Wyndia stated as she pulled the [Pitchfork] out of the boy's chest.

"Good." Nan stated while patting her head. "Now Wyndia..."

Ren then takes a look at the dog-eared girl's eyes.

_"... Dead."_ Ren thought. _"... Nan turned her into a killer."_

But she's killing the ones that tried to _enslave_ her.

_"... So who is in the right?"_

"I want you to kill the rest of those villagers, and make sure that you kill them before they do it to you." Nan instructed. "Simple enough?"

She nods.

"But first, let me add you to my party..." Nan then waves his hand a few times before putting it down. "... Alright, go nuts."

The dog-girl then plunges into the encirclement with insane bloodlust.

_"Stop it."_

More blood soaks the girl's clothes.

_"Stop it."_

The mangled screams of the villagers rang through his ears.

_"Stop it-"_

A stray wind blow by Nan, revealing a lack of a left arm.

The message was now clear to Ren:

**This is not the world that you know.**

**This is reality.**

**It's kill or be killed.**

"Hmm?"

Nan then walk towards Ren with a pleased expression.

"... I take it that you finally now realize that this isn't _Sword Art Online_?" Nan stated.

Ren's eyes widen upon his words.

_"HOW!?"_ Ren thought. _"HOW DOES HE KNOW THAT GAME!?"_

"I'll take it as a 'yes'." Nan grinned. "Now before we part ways..."

Nan then pulls out the rock gagging Ren's mouth.

"... W-Wait-"

"Nighty-night, _Kirito_."

*TWACK*

**Switching POV: Back to 1st Person**

... Wow.

Level 5 to 25 after killing a majority of the villagers and the [Sword Hero]'s party.

And now only two kids were left alive, trembling and crying like little bitches, as their former loved ones and to-be saviors were being eaten by my [Chimera], [Manticore], and [Trolls].

"... Can I kill those two?" Wyndia mumbled out.

"No." I stated. "But I have something a bit better in mind."

I then snap my finger, signaling my [Skeletons] and [Zombies] to disperse the encirclement.

"Now then..." I spoke to the children. "... Off you go, shoo shoo."

The two don't even question it and fucking run.

"Wait." I held back Wyndia.

I then hand her the box that I found at the root.

"Now watch closely." I told Wyndia. "I'm going to reach you how to use a [Musket]."

First, use wire-brush to clean out for any residual gunpowder left inside the barrel.

Second, load [Lesser Gunpowder] into the barrel.

Third, load musket ball inside the barrel.

Fourth, apply [Greater Gunpowder] onto the pan above the trigger.

Fifth, pull back hammer until you hear a *click* sound.

"And finally..."

I then hand the gun to Wyndia.

"... Point the gun at which target you want to kill, and pull the trigger." I instructed. "There's only one shot and there's two of them. So make it count."

... Badass number 7, welcome to the team.

*BANG*

"... Alright, let's pack up and go home." I stated.

"Master, about the [Sword Hero]..." Byakko pointed out.

I then hear a horse's neigh coming from a distance.

"... Go fetch that horse, and make sure you don't kill it by accident."

"Understood." The butler then hops off where the horse was.

I then look down at the unconscious [Sword Hero], his face now having a black eye and crushed nose.

"... Ugh, I think I kinda went a little too far." I groaned.

"Can we break his legs? Both of them, to be precise?" Seiryu asked in a slightly irritated tone.

Crap, forgot that she didn't get her pound of flesh...

"... Sorry, I kinda need him alive."

"I brought the horse, master!" I heard Byakko.

I look back and see the albino butler riding with his shirt off like the guy from Old Spice.

... But white (not racist).

"Alright..." I stated.

I pick Ren up by his waist and sling his whole body over the horse's back.

"Don't fall off, buddy."

I slap the horse's booty and the [Sword Hero] gallops off to the sunset...

... In the most lamest way possible.

"Alright, now let's go home."

*click*

**One [Teleport-Archive] later...**

"Welcome to your new home." I greeted our new party member. "A little cramped, but hopefully, we'll manage."

Wyndia looks around her new surrounding with wonder.

"Eh eh eh." I stopped her excitement. "Wash yourself up first. Blood only looks good when fresh, not when it's caked onto your skin."

The rest of my party then heads towards the showers.

"Now then..." I then head towards the couch and continue reading on the [Beginner's Guide to Classes and Promotions for Dummies].

**Chapter 3: Deviant Classes**

**This one... just makes things way more complicated than usual.**

**The base [Class Promotion] was already a pain in the ass to write down, but now, some jagoff apparently discovers that there are classes that use weapons from different base classes-**

**Oh wait that's me...**

**... Fuck.**

**Anywho, [Deviant Classes]. [Classes] that use weapons from differing classes, such as a combination of [Sword] and [Wand].**

**... Grab something eat and drink before we continue, folks.**

**We're gonna be here for a while.**

**...**

**Good?**

**Then go (only the ones that I've found; might not be all of them):**

**[Duelist]: [Sword] & [Dagger]**

**[Phalanx]: [Spear] & [Shield]**

**[Brawler]: [Gauntlet] & [Dagger]**

**[Inquisitor]: [Sword] & [Gauntlets]**

**[Barbarian]: [Axe] & [Gauntlets]**

**[Magus]: [Wand] & [Staff]**

**[Hermit]: [Staff] & [Daggers]**

**[Judicator]: [Hammer] & [Tome]**

**[Exorcist]: [Sword] & [Tome]**

**[Ashigaru]: [Katana] & [Musket]**

**[Ronin]: [Katana] & [Dagger]**

**(Too many to read, just skimming)**

As I was reading, the dog-girl comes out of the showers with a fresh batch of clothes on her.

"So..." I asked. "How does it feel to clean yourself up?"

"I don't have to itch anymore, so that's pretty neat!" Wyndia giggle.

Omigod, I have Jackie the Ripper from Fate/Apocrypha.

And I don't have to feed her hearts!

... Probably.

So the twins then give our new recruit a tour around the [Archive], and suddenly, [Gaelion] pops out of Grimm's pages...

... In his SD form, which, since he didn't die, he was now blue instead of red.

"I take it that you like it here?" I asked.

**"A unique ****environment, old yet, new..." **

"By the way, how are you achieving that form?" I asked, watching myself to not mention its death in other continuities.

**"My [Emperor] status allows me to control my physical form to my species at will."** Gaeilion stated.** "My current form is known as [Hatchling Emperor], which compacts my size to my infant form."**

"... Longshot, but is it possible for you to evolve even further beyond?" I asked. "Like, say... a [Bahamut]?"

Gaelion laughs for a moment before speaking.

**"Honestly? Barely any [Dragon] live long enough to achieve that evolution."** Gaelion spoke.** "I ****mean, I can only faintly recall one instance where I've vaguely heard of a [Dragon] achieve into a [Bahamut]."** The current [Hatchling Emperor] claimed.** "Which reminds me..." **

He then looks at me suspiciously.

**"How the hell you even know that form?"**

I then sigh before speaking.

"I'm from an another world." I confessed. "Along with that [Sword Hero] and three other schmucks, I was transported into this hellhole against my will in my PJs."

**"And is the name [Bahamut] popular in said world, which explains your knowledge of said name?"**

"From King of all Dragonkind to a literal God of the Apocalypse, name, appearances, and even marketing? It's practically a symbol of badassery." I claimed. "Land, air, sea, dude lives in all three."

**"That's... kinda ****frightening."** Gaelion stated.** "I mean, sure, most of those representations are mostly accurate..."**

"Including the fact that [Bahamut] was originally the name of a creature that held up the earth on its back? Usually taking the form of an aquatic creature or giant land mammal?"

**"[Bahamut]'s all three."** Gaelion pointed out.** "Which is why it's the ultimate form that a [Dragon] can achieve."**

Well, at least I now know what to do.

"I now have another goal to reach." I spoke to Gaelion. "And that is to turn you into a [Bahamut], the ultimate [Dragon] badass."

Gaelion then begins to laugh again.

**"Ho ho ho ho ho ho!"** Gaelion chortled.** "I like you already!"**

"I'm a part time game hunter." I stated. "We'll find big monsters for you to snack on and help you achieve that final form!"

**"I can quite see that!"** Gaelion chuckled.** "You have a [Roc] with you, and let me tell ya, she's quite a looker despite her ripe age!"**

"You have a giantess fetish?" I prodded Gaelion.

**"Oh please, my wife was twice as large as me!"**

We both share a laugh for a moment.

"... So, we have a deal?" I asked with a fist raised.

Gaelion bumps his own with mine.

"Alright then!" I spoke. "See you in a bit!"

**"Will do, bossman."**

Gaelion SD then returns into Grimm's pages.

"I like him." I spoke to Grimm.

**"For a [Dragon Emperor], he's quite cordial."**

I then begin to look around, and begin to notice something.

"Is it just me, or is the [Archive] beginning to feel... a bit cramped?" I pointed out.

"If worried about accommodations, then there's a remedy for that issue."

I turn around and see Byakko nearly spooking me.

"Whoa! Hey there." I stated. "So what do you mean by that?"

"I've checked your [Portable Dragon's Hourglass] and saw that you flagged another [Dungeon] entrance, correct?" Byakko asked.

"Yep." I stated. "Got it after I got almost abducted by [Zombies]."

"Then allow me to get to the point." Byakko stated. "Conquering a [Dungeon] allows the [Archive] to expand and grow, a feature that my previous master implemented into the [Archive], but never got to use it since he didn't deem as of his use."

"Well, I was planning to tackle that hole later down the line, but hey, if it means getting more room here, then I ain't judging." I stated.

"Also, here." Byakko then hands me a silver maw with sharp teeth.

... Oh my god, that's Grimmjow's teeth on his right cheek.

"Yes, please!"

The [Silver Wolf Maw] then sticks onto my missing right cheek, and I move my new prosthetic cheek.

... They're more like an extra set of jaws, in all fairness.

"I like it." I stated.

After that, I put down my book and head towards the kitchen for our celebratory dinner.

... And just learned that Wyndia can pack away more than Garou, Fubuki, Genbu, Suzaku, and Seiryu _combined_.

**A week later...**

I then go through the vaults in the [Archive] and look at the things stored in here.

Armor, weaponry, [Scrolls], accessories, and basically, the following two thoughts come to mind:

A) My predecessor has a really bad case of hoarding obsession.

B) I might have a hard-on from seeing such beauty in form.

"Hmm..." I mused. "What do we have here..."

[Enigmatic Trickster's Garbs], a gold-and-green jester-like outfit, with what with the poofy sleeves and pants with a ruffled collar.

But the best part?

This thing hides the wearer's stats. All of them.

"... I smell evil plan."

The hamster wheel in my head known as my 128 IQ brain begins to spin.

"... I'm going to enjoy killing three birds with one stone."

**Another week later...**

So a summary of the past two weeks...

I came up with a plan that would let me clear the [Dungeon], screw over the [Three Cardinal Heroes], and power-level Wyndia and Gaelion at the same time.

Speaking of Wyndia, she's now in her teenage-form (period already passed), and now she's another full-fledged [Fighter] in our party.

And to top it all off?

**At the Guild Hall...**

Itsuki (quest grinding), Motoyasu (same as former), Ren (just finished his sixth pint of ale), and Naofumi (he's here to turn in [Boar Pelts x20] at the reception hall), were looking at a certain flyer pinned at the center of the request board.

**High-level [Dungeon] unearthed around [Eastern Groves]**

**Need all the [Four Heroes] to assist exploring the [Dungeon]**

**High-level monsters spotted around the [Dungeon] exteriors**

**Reward: 150,000,000 gold to each of the [Four Heroes] party**

"... Something's off." Naofumi pointed out. "Why does this quest need all four of us?"

"True." Itsuki stated. "Doesn't this person know that our [Legendary Weapons] can't make us level up when we're all together?"

"Not to *hic* mention, the reward." Ren (now barely-sober) pointed out. "... Is the person that well-off?"

"Who cares!" Motoyasu spoke out. "The reward's good, a [Dungeon] might have loots in them, and if this quest needs all four of us..."

He then takes a moment to give Naofumi a stink-eye, which he ignores as usual.

"... Then I wouldn't mind working you, damn rapist." Motoyasu glowered.

Naofumi sighs out in frustration.

"... Fine, but only because business has been rather slow lately." Naofumi stated.

"Any objections?" Itsuki asked.

No one raises their hands.

"Then we move out this afternoon." Itsuki stated. "See you all at the [Eastern Groves]."

The [Bow Hero]'s party then head out.

Naofumi then looks at Ren, who's suspiciously alone.

"... Where's your party?" Naofumi asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." Ren stated in a dejected tone as he leave the fee for his drinks on the counter before leaving.

"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia cried out from the reception desk.

"We're leaving!" Naofumi stated while taking the flyer off of the board, as if he's paying for the other's drinks.

The flyer has been stamped, and Naofumi is then handed a large sack of [Shovels].

"What?" Naofumi stated.

"Apparently, the client for that quest told me that the parties will be needing these." The receptionist stated.

_"Hopefully Filo doesn't mind carrying extra baggage."_ Naofumi thought.

The four parties then all head East.

**At the [Eastern Groves]...**

The four parties then all arrive at the [Eastern Groves], heading towards a smoke signal coming from deeper into the thickets.

Eventually, all of them arrive at the clearing, seeing a figure in a gold and green jester-like outfit with a white smiling mask and a frilled collar that puffed out of the figure's neck, holding a lute slung around his shoulder in its gloved hands, with the sounds of jingling coming from the bells on its multi-pronged cap and shoes, and a female figure dressed in strapless ruby-red dress with a silver brestplate, her face veiled and masked with a black long-nosed Venetian-inspired masquerade mask, and a pair of white gloves reaching all the way up to her biceps, each holding onto a ornate pike with a small dragon spiraling around the upper shaft and an ironclad wooden round shield with ten iron studs on its surface, resting on the shield's edge was a small, dragon-like creature resting on it.

Both of them were surrounded with tents and other heavy equipment, with a campfire-turned smoke signal between the two, pots and pans scattered about, and a giant hole that was dug up on the ground, as if they were waiting for a long time.

"They look... quite colorful." Raphtalia commented.

Filo chirps in agreement.

The jester-like figure then turns his masked head, spotting the three in the wagon.

"You there!" The jester called out. "... You're the [Shield Hero], correct?"

"And what if I am?" Naofumi replied.

"Oh fret not, Mr. Hero." The jester answered. "And I suspect that the others are coming as well?"

Next to him, Motoyasu, Ren, and Itsuki arrive on their dragon mounts.

"Ahh!" The jester cried out. "Now the whole company's here! What joy!"

The jester then begins to prance about jingling while the female warrior remained stoic.

"Ah, forgive me, dear heroes." The jester stated. "You may now come closer."

The four then come towards the clearing.

"Master, something's off of those two." Raphtalia pointed out.

"I know, but I've already have the flyer stamped." Naofumi stated in a frustrated tone.

"Now now!" The jester spoke. "We're all friends here, right?"

No one even blinks.

"... Tough crowd." The jester stated.

"Just get on with the quest already!" Malty cried out.

"Fine fine fine... Only trying to lighten the mood here. Sheesh."

The jester clears his throat.

"Thy name is Kefka, and I am a level 39 [Cleric] with my level 32 [Fighter] companion, Terra." Kefka greeted. "And the reason why I've brought the [Four Heroes] here is that me and my companion discovered a [Dungeon] underneath our very feet!"

This information catches their attention.

"But sadly, when we tried to enter it, we were immediately set upon by [Skeletons] the moment we set foot, and worst of all, I've felt a very foul presence within the depths of this dark [Dungeon]." Kefka claimed. "So after roughly two week of backbreaking work, we were greeted with nothing but death and pain. Henceforth! Is the reason why I sought upon you four and your company. For only you! Can cleanse the unrest and calamity that is within the depths of this [Dungeon]!"

The majority of the crowd were now in fever pitch, with Naofumi and Raphtalia being the (slight) exception.

"So! Before we begin our little excursion..." Kefka paused. "Did any of you get the bag of [Shovels] from the nice lady at the front desk?"

Amidst the silence, Naofumi groans out loudly as he heads back to his wagon and slugs out a sack of [Shovels].

"Wait, why couldn't you use those [Shovels]?" Motoyasu asked.

Terra then brings the shovel up to the front, and the spade breaks off of the shaft.

"... They've long since... expired." Kefka stated.

The whole crowd goes into awkward silence.

"... Well, we all make mistakes, but anywho." Kefka stated.

Terra then picks up a sack over her shoulder with Kefka following her into the hole.

"What are you waiting for!" Kefka cried out. "Come on!"

The [Four Heroes] and their parties head into the tunnel.

Terra takes out a torch and lights it with a match.

"Careful not to get lost." Kefka warned.

The company then reaches a giant set of metal doors.

"Here we are." Kefka stated. "Welcome, brave heroes and their daring companions..."

Terra then pulls a secret lever that opens the doors.

"... To the [Lost Catacombs]."

The scent of dust and rot greet them at the entrance.

"Like if the smell is gonna turn me away." Motoyasu bragged as he went in with his harem.

"We'll purge the evil from this world." Itsuki declared.

"I hope the mobs here can put up a fight." Ren mumbled in a dejected tone.

"Master!" Raphtalia stated while guiding Filo by her saddle.

"Let's just get this over with." Naofumi grumbled.

Eventually, the whole company heads in, with the only source of light being a torch from Terra.

When all of them getting past the doorsteps and into the [Dungeon], the doors behind them _close_.

"... Oh dear." Kefka stated.

The torchlight begins to wane.

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **On fire and cannot stop writing.

And speaking of Borderlands 2, I'm starting to draw some comparisons when it comes to role parallels.

Garou is basically Wilhelm, being the enforcers of their respective command's will.

And Wyndia is basically Nisha in the making.

With the SI, as Handsome Jack.

And as for SAO joke to sword boy, just wanna maintain reverse dramatic irony.

Also, Kefka and Terra are the Bard and the Shieldbreaker respectively.

* * *

**Stat Updates:**

* * *

**Name: [Fallen Hero], [Nan Hon-Jah]**

**Class: [Tome Fallen]**

**Level: 39**

**Affinities****: [All Eight Elements]**

**Alignment****: Neutral Evil**

**Equipment: [Forbidden Tome, Grimm the Heretic], [Iron Rune of Defiance], [Chthonian Cloak], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Portable Dragon's Hourglass], [Necromancer's Visage], [Mountaineer's Boots]**

**Attack: 51 (+45)**

**Defense: 47 (+35)**

**Agility: 47 (+30)**

**Luck: 40 (-30)**

**HP: 400 (+25)**

**MP: 500 (+200)**

* * *

**Name: [Garou]**

**Class: [Slave Brawler]**

**Level: 42**

**Affinities****: [Dark]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment****: [Assassin's Leather Armor], [Nightshroud], [Blade Gauntlets****], [Primal Claws], [Katars]**

**Attack: 51 (+50)**

**Defense: 39 (-20)**

**Agility: 46 (+65)**

**Luck: 32 (+20)**

**HP: 485 (-20)**

**MP: 185 (-100)**

* * *

**Name: [Fubuki]**

**Class: [Slave Monk]**

**Level: 43**

**Affinities****: [Ice]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment****: [Twilight Gunstaff], [Darkbane Gauntlets], [Twilight Cloak], [Twilight Hunter's Hood], [Mana Medallion]**

**Attack: 48 (+45)**

**Defense: 36 (+30)**

**Agility: 43 (+25)**

**Luck: 36 (+20)**

**HP: 340 (-50)**

**MP: 555 (+150)**

* * *

**Name: [Byakko]**

**Class: [Cleric]**

**Level: 39**

**Affinities****: [Fire], [Lightning], [Light]**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Equipment: [Medic's Scalpels], [Faithful Suit], [Blessed Silver Chainmail], [Basic Medical Aid Utility Belt]**

**Attack: 41 (+5)**

**Defense: 35 (+5)**

**Agility: 45 (+15)**

**Luck: 34 (+5)**

**HP: 360 (+50)**

**MP: 360 (+50)**

* * *

**Name: [Genbu]**

**Class: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Affinities****: None**

**Alignment: ?**

**Equipment: [Wayward Nomad's Garbs], [Silver Pocket Watch & Chain] (also referred to as [Silver Pocketwatch]), [Silver Sword], [Fafnir's Flametongue]**

**Attack: ?**

**Defense: ?**

**Agility: ?**

**Luck: 9,999**

**HP: ?**

**MP: ?**

* * *

**Name: [Seiryu]**

**Class: [Tyrera Queen Fighter]**

**Level: 33**

**Affinities****: [Water]**

**Alignment: True Neutral**

**Equipment: [Steel Bludgeon], [Barbarian Armor], [Barbarian Helm], [Berserk Rune], [Berserker's Mantle], [Chimera Teeth Necklace]**

**Attack: 35 (+70)**

**Defense: 33 (+35)**

**Agility: 17 (+20)**

**Luck: 10 (-10)**

**HP: 460 (+200)**

**MP: 30 (+20)**

* * *

**Name: [Suzaku]**

**Class: [Filolial King Rouge]**

**Level: 33**

**Affinities****: [Fire]**

**Alignment: True Neutral**

**Equipment: [Vermilion Robes], [Rouge's Cowl], [Mark of the Apex Predator], [Celestial Rune of Protection], [Mark of the Godspeed], [Mark of the Shadow Dancer], [Mark of the Apostle]**

**Attack: 46 (+20)**

**Defense: 5 (+5)**

**Agility: 55 (+50)**

**Luck: 48 (+20)**

**HP: 70 (+20)**

**MP: 70 (+20)**

* * *

**Name: [Wyndia]**

**Class: [Fighter]**

**Level: 25**

**Affinities: [Fire] & [Wind]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Pitchfork], [Matchlock Pistol]**

**Attack: 30 (+20)**

**Defense: 20**

**Agility: 25**

**Luck: 5**

**HP: 200**

**MP: 100**

* * *

So what do you readers think of this Epic?

Leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what you're all thinking!


	14. Epic 14: The Depths Part 2

**_Continuing self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_Waiting for Season 2..._**

**_Finger Count: 5/10_**

**_Eye Count: 1/2_**

**_Sanity Meter: 22%_**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

_**Epic 14: The Depths Part 2**_

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Motoyasu banged at the doors.

"Oh dear..." Kefka groaned out. "... It seems that we're trapped."

"What do mean!?" Motoyasu cried out.

"What it means is..." Kefka stated. "... It means that the only way that we're going to get out of this [Dungeon] is to complete it."

"He's right." Ren stated while swinging his [Legendary Sword] at the gates. "Door's aren't budging."

"You heard the man." Kefka stated. "The only way, like life, is forward."

As the company began walk into the depths of the [Lost Catacombs], their visions begin to adjust to the darkness, the [Lost Catacombs] began to slowly unravel itself.

Half-rotten skulls made up surrounding walls and ceilings, the floors were riddled with loose bones and decomposing corpses still holding onto their arms, and the deathly-hollow ambience already erodes the spirits of the once bright-eyed adventurers down to husks.

Someone in Motoyasu's party/harem vomits.

"Warned you." Kefka stated. "Told you this place needs all four of the heroes to traverse through."

Only Naofumi was nonplussed about this.

"So why the hell are we even locked in here?" Naofumi asked. "Is this some kind of trap? Or you expect us to believe that you were chased out by [Skeletons-"

A high-pitched shriek was heard from the darkness, then followed up with several sounds of bare bones rattling.

"... Believe me now?" Kefka pointed out.

A [Skeleton Fighter] swings its swords behind Kefka.

"GET DOWN!"

Naofumi blocks a sword strike with his [Crystal Shield].

Skill, [Glimmer] activates, blinding the [Skeleton Fighter].

"Raphtalia, now!"

The raccoon-girl then draws her [Iron Longsword] and cuts down the [Skeleton].

"... Are you alright?" Raphtalia asked.

"Y-yes, I am quite well." Kefka stated. "Although I advise you to turn around."

"Eh?"

The [Skeleton Fighter] lying on the floor begin to reassemble itself back together.

"Wh-What the!?"

The [Skeleton Fighter] swings its [Steel Sword] towards Raphtalia's [Iron Longsword].

"I forgot to mention that the [Skeletons] here are a bit... _special_." Kefka stated.

"What do mean!?" Itsuki asked.

Naofumi then looks at the [Skeleton]'s name bar above its HP bar.

"... [_Sturdy_ Skeleton Fighter]?" Naofumi asked.

"Oh dear." Kefka said. "Terra, please assist."

The masked women then runs across the walls and holds her spear in reverse, swinging its shaft against the [Skeleton]'s skull, causing it to crack like an eggshell and crumble into a pile of bones, with no signs of it rebuilding.

"As the [Shield Hero] and his party has seen, that was an [Affixed] monster." Kefka stated.

"[Affixed] monsters?" Motoyasu replied. "Just what the hell is that?"

"Regular monsters that have a certain traits that give them extra... quirks, shall we say." Kefka stated. "Terra, keep watch at the front with the [Shield Hero]."

The masked woman then moves next to Naofumi with torch in hand, a spear in another, and a small dragon-like creature on her shoulder.

"For example." Kefka went on as the company advanced. "[Sturdy] monsters have the ability to regenerate its structure back to normal should it be destroyed, but only if the monster is under an [Inorganic] category."

"... So how can [Sturdy Skeletons] be felled?" Itsuki asked.

"Well, simple really." Kefka went on. "They can put themselves back together, but only its joints and points of articulation can be put back together. So best option? Use blunt weapons to break them, not cut them down. Oh and slight warning, no magic. These boneheads come running towards it like flies and maggots to a corpse, I tell you."

"And how can a mere jester know of all this?" Malty asked in a condescending tone.

"I had my fair share of encounters with the more bizarre kind during a few of my adventures." Kefka answered. "I mean, did you know that a [Berserk Weretiger] can decapitate ten fully armed soldiers with its claws alone all at the _same time_? Or the fact that a [Overclocked Iron Golem] can run_ faster_ than a [Filolial Queen]?"

No one replies.

"Well then, it seems that we're reaching a wide open space-"

More shrieking was heard upon entry.

"... With more [Skeletons] waiting for us." Kefka stated. "I'll provide healing, and remember, blunt trauma and no magic unless you want to cause aggro."

The company then begins to disperse around the open area.

Naofumi knocks the [Skeletons] back with his shield with Raphtalia following it up by smashing her sword's pommel into the skull, and with Filo stomping one of their skulls to death.

Ren takes notice of her strategy and begins to utilize the same tactic.

Motoyasu was racking up more kills then everyone else, which ends up having him to fight twice as much [Skeletons] compared to everyone else.

And Itsuki was all but flat out useless here, since his arrows can barely split a skull in two, leaving the heavy lifting to Mald.

After several minutes of fighting, the majority of the company were flat on their asses, with Naofumi. Raphtalia, and Filo, who were barely breaking a sweat.

"Hahh... why the hell aren't you even tired?" Motoyasu panted out.

"I dunno." Naofumi responded. "Wielding a pickaxe was more tiring than this."

"I'd like to throw my, 'hat' in." Kefka jested while adjusting his lute's strings. "Have you ever heard of a riddle between of a race between racehorse and a workhorse?"

"Never heard of it." Ren stated.

"Well, here's how it goes:" Kefka stated. "Two men decided to pit a race against a racehorse and a workhorse across a hundred-acre-long racetrack. One man states that his racehorse would win, for it was the fastest horse in the land, while the other man states that his workhorse would win, for it was the hardiest horse in the land. So tell, me, dear heroes..."

The masked jester then strums a note on his lute.

"Which horse do think it'll make it to the end of the hundred-acres?"

"Definitely the racehorse." Motoyasu answered abruptly. "Because it'll reach there first."

"Nope, it's the workhorse." Raphtalia reasoned. "It'll last longer then the racehorse."

"It's the racehorse, you damn dirty demi-human!" Malty shouted. "You demi-humans are all about slow and steady! Speed and aggressiveness are the ways to make it in this world!"

"Does it explain you lack of impulse control and your penchant for ruining other people's lives on a whim?" Naofumi smirked.

Then the whole company then begins to devolve into an rampant argument/everyone else picking on Naofumi and his party.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE, SHUT UP!" Kefka shouted over the company's breys.

The company goes silent upon seeing the masked jester being held up by Terra's shoulders.

"... Let's just move on elsewhere into the [Dungeon] before more of those boneheads come along to make our lives miserable, shall we?" Kefka stated while relighting a torch after ditching a dead one. "There are branching pathways adjacent to the way we came in. As much as this might be a bad idea, but I think we need to split up."

The four heroes and their respective parties then each take each separate path.

**Switching POV: Motoyasu**

Motoyasu's party begins to walk into one of the tunnels with torch in hand.

The pathway was damp and cold, but at the same time, suffocating and uncomfortably warm.

The whole party was sweating, even Motoyasu, whose bravado is the size of a mountain, was on the verge of shaking in his boots.

"Hey look!" The female [Rouge] pointed towards the end over the [Spear Hero]'s shoulder.

A dead end, with a padlocked treasure chest sitting at it.

"Allow me, [Spear Hero]!" The female [Rouge] then skips towards the dead end.

She then pulls out her [Steel Hairclip] and jams it into the chest's keyhole to break its lock.

With a *click*, the lock comes loose...

... And just as the lock was removed, a pair of arms sprout out from the ground and grab her arms as the chest in front of her begins to grow teeth.

Before the female [Rouge] can even scream, the fanged chest bites her head off, right before greedily gobbling the rest of her body down and reveal a lanky-humanoid figure with the fanged chest for its head.

"ARIEL!" Motoyasu shouted.

Motoyasu then reads [Starving Mimic] above its HP bar.

"EVERYONE! GET READY!" Motoyasu roared out with his [Legendary Spear] in hand. "[Lightning Spear-"

The [Starving Mimic] then vomits out partially-digested chunks of the female [Rouge] that it just recently ate, covering Motoyasu's entire party in blood and bile.

Several of Motoyasu's party members go into a panic attack, in which then the [Starving Mimic] then snatches a female [Mage] and begins to chew on her ribs while she was screaming in agony.

In desperation, Motoyasu charges towards the [Mimic], slashing its lanky torso in two, and freeing the [Mage] from its fangs.

"Are you alright?" Motoyasu asked.

Before she can answer, the [Mimic] comes crawling towards Motoyasu, drooling in hunger.

Motoyasu and a female [Fighter] use their [Dual-Pronged Spear] and [Steel Longsword] and stake the [Mimic] into its chest-head, killing it.

"Shit..." The female [Fighter] heaved out while pulling out her blade.

Before she can say anything, she falls to her knees and begins to vomit.

"That was so terrifying, Lord Motoyasu!" Malty swooned onto his shoulder.

"That bastard..." Motoyasu mumbled dejectedly. "... That bastard killed Ariel."

Motoyasu then punches the wall with tears coming out of his eyes.

"DAMMIT!"

**Switching POV: Itsuki**

"JUST HOW MANY OF THESE CREEPS ARE HIDING IN HERE!?"

In the corridor, Itsuki's party were surrounded from both sides by [Skeletons], with [Sturdy] and [Nimble]-variants amongst the horde, all of them popping out of the skull-plastered walls and ceilings.

Mald was dealing with the [Sturdy] ones with his [Silver Poleaxe], while Itsuki was observing that the [Nimble] ones are faster, but not as durable as the [Sturdy] ones.

In other words, his arrows aren't useless against them.

"Rearguard! Maintain position! Vanguard! Keep pushing forward!" Itsuki commanded.

"YESSIR!" Mald roared out as he began to bulldoze through the [Skeletons], while Itsuki shot down the [Nimble Skeletons] with his arrows.

"Keep it up, everyone!" Itsuki cried out. "We're almost through!"

**Switching POV: Ren**

Surrounding Ren, were several [Skeletons] with all of their skulls cut in half.

His body, however, were surrounded and riddled with scars and bleeding cuts.

He silently takes out a vial and downs it, restoring his HP back to green.

"... What the hell." Ren mumbled out.

He then slowly walks into the darkness without light.

His blurry eyes then spot something glimmering from the end of the hallway.

A treasure chest.

Ren then presses his ear against the lid.

... No beatings.

He then prods the ground around the chest.

... No mention of movement.

"It's safe."

Ren then then slashes the lock off of the chest.

He opens the chest, and finds a large saw-teethed bladed one-handed longsword in it, with its leather sheath next to it.

"[Weapon Copy]." Ren stated.

"[Dead Render] copied."

He then looks at the blade inside in the chest.

He turns around, only to find the masked jester and his veiled bodyguard behind him.

"Why do you leave such decent loot behind, dear [Sword Hero]?" Kefka asked.

"It's none of your damn business." Ren coldly replied.

"Then can we take it off of you hands?" Kefka asked. "Waste not, want not."

With a grumble, Ren steps aside and Terra satches the [Dead Render] into her sack.

"Tell me, dear hero." Kefka asked. "What kind of weapon do think the [Dead Render] is?"

"A sword." Ren answered.

"... You're only half-right, Mr. Hero." Kefka stated. "The [Dead Render] is what is classified as a [Hybrid Weapon]."

"... [Hybrid Weapon]?" Ren asked.

"I'll keep it brief and just say that the [Dead Render] is a cross between a [Sword] and an [Axe]." Kefka stated. "You can still replicate it, as I've seen you just do it, but I theorize that the copied [Dead Render] will only be half-effective in performance."

"So it's a dud." Ren mumbled.

"... Not quite." Kefka stated. "The [Dead Render], as its name implies, is good for slaying monsters like [Skeletons], due to the blade's serrated design and weight distribution, good for splitting skulls like [Hatchets] to planks."

"So it's a weapon perfect for this kind of [Dungeon] then." Ren stated. "Thanks for telling me that."

The three then continued walking back.

"... I must ask, dear [Sword Hero]." Kefka asked. "Can you confide me on a question?"

"I'll bite." Ren replied. "So what's the question?"

"What does being a [Hero] mean to you?" Kefka asked.

"Simple really." Ren answered. "It means to be the strongest."

"And what does it means to be 'the strongest'?"

"To be the strongest means that everyone can rely on me." Ren answered. "If I'm the strongest, then I can protect everyone else that I care... about..."

Ren then starts having flashbacks to Nan slaughtering his party and the villagers.

"... Are you well, dear [Sword Hero]?" Kefka asked.

"... I'm fine." Ren replied.

"Then if you mind, mind if I continue with my questions?" Kefka asked. "Mind you, this will be the last one, promise."

Ren nods.

"Then here it is..."

Kefka then strums a single note from his lute.

"... Are you a [Hero]? Or are you a _crutch_?"

Ren's mind freezes.

"Think about that for a moment, dear [Sword Hero]." Kefka stated. "Previous [Heroes] fell from grace when they failed to realize the difference until it was too late."

Kefka then turns around and faces the [Sword Hero].

"Lest hope that you don't end up like them, ok?"

**Switching POV: Naofumi**

The whole hallway was nothing remarkable.

No [Affixed] monsters, no traps, just regular [Skeletons] and his whole party steadily leveling up.

"Master!" Raphtalia called out from the back. "We're clear from the rear!"

Filo chirps in agreement.

"Nothing going on the front." Naofumi stated. "Come on, let's keep moving."

Raphtalia watches Naofumi's back, Filo watches from above with her elevated neck, and Naofumi leads the front for in case of any attacks.

Torch in hand, Naofumi and his party of three slowly advance forward.

At the end, the three find themselves cut off from the path by a pile of rubble.

"... There's air coming through the gaps." Raphtalia stated. "Master, how do we get past?" Raphtalia asked.

Naofumi then looks at the sack of shovels slung around Filo.

"Simple." Naofumi stated.

He then pulls out a shovel from the sack.

"Start digging." Naofumi stated while handing the raccoon girl a shovel before he gets his own.

The two then start digging through the rubble, with each dent letting more air through the freshly-formed gaps.

**Back at the large chamber...**

From two of the four entrances, Motoyasu's mangled party and Ren with the jester and bodyguard pair.

"... You seem to be one member short." Kefka stated.

"Shut up..." Motoyasu snarled.

And from another entrance, Itsuki's party appeared.

"Hmm, you folks seem to be faring well." Kefka stated. "What made you come back out here?"

"Our way further in is blocked." Itsuki stated.

"Well, that's what happens if you all neglected to take the shovels that I've provided in the first place that I left at the guild hall..." Kefka sighed out. "... Oh well, at least _someone_ brought them on their person."

"... Where's Naofumi?" Ren asked.

"Hmph, probably went off and died elsewhere." Malty spat out. "If so, then good riddance-"

The sounds of stones collapsing was heard from the fourth entrance.

"... Might want to count your chickens before they hatch, miss." Kefka pointed out. "And for the record, I each had a bag of shovels for each party."

The other parties groan.

"Well no time like the present." Kefka stated. "Onwards!"

Kefka then heads with Terra behind him. The rest of the company then follow.

"Sorry." Kefka apologized. "It seems that the other parties are rather underprepared for this exploration."

Naofumi rolls his eyes as he re-lit his torch after ditching the dead one.

"Nice and orderly single-file line, people." Kefka stated. "Let's get a move on!"

The company then shuffle through the hallways, with Kefka slowing down towards where Itsuki was at.

"Forsooth, dear [Bow Hero]!" Kefka greeted. "May I confide in you in something?"

"Sure, I don't mind." Itsuki stated.

"Then I shall ask you this, what do you think being a [Hero] means?" Kefka asked. "Mind you, I'm not doubting your intentions and all-"

"You dare doubt Lord Itsuki's intentions!?" Mald barked out. "I will gut you for your insolence-"

"Mald! It's all right!" Itsuki stopped the armored [Fighter].

The armored man glares at the masked jester.

"... May I ask you that question again?" Kefka asked.

"Please." Itsuki stated.

"Then here it is..."

Kefka then strums a note on his lute.

"What does being a [Hero] mean to you?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Itsuki answered. "It's to fight for justice and vanquish all evil."

"Okay, but what do you define as justice and evil respectively?"

"I see evil as the ones who tries to destroy this world and the people living in it, and justice is the action taken to stop such things from happening." Itsuki stated.

"So you're an idealist kind of hero then..." Kefka surmised. "But dare I ask, how far are you willing to exercise your worldview?"

"What do you mean 'how far'?" Itsuki replied in a confused tone. "For me, there's no such thing as justice being taken too far. You're either good or evil, there's no compromise if you wish to achieve world peace."

"... I'll step away from that little... _volatile_ subject."

Kefka then runs back forward.

"... Just make sure you check yourself before you wreck yourself, okay?"

The jester then runs further away from the [Bow Hero]'s party.

Eventually, the whole company come across another wide-open chamber, but this time, there was nothing in here.

... Except for a lone giant treasure chest with three padlocks at the center.

"... Methinks that might be a trap." Kefka stated.

"Pah! Who gives a crap!?" Mald then shoves aside the masked jester.

He then swings his [Silver Poleaxe] at the padlocks, breaking them off with each swing.

Eventually, all three locks come loose, and the armored [Fighter] tries to lift the lid off of the case.

"I-It won't... budge!" Mald struggled.

Then few more [Fighters] from the other parties (sans Raphtalia) help out the armored man lift the lid open.

And by the time the [Fighters] lift the lid off of the case, _all_ of the entrances in the chamber are now closed off with thick barred gates.

"... You imbeciles." Kefka grumbled. "YOU'VE DOOMED US ALL!"

Before the [Fighter] from Motoyasu's party can say anything, her stomach erupts out a rusted blade of a sword.

The rusted sword then cleaves out to her left side, her falling body revealing a black [Skeleton] wearing faded clerical armor and chainmail, slowly rising out from its now-confirmed coffin.

"... A [Royal Wight Inquisitor]." Naofumi spoken out. "And it's a level 39."

"Wait, did you say [Wight]?" Kefka asked.

Mald then swings his [Silver Poleaxe] towards the [Wight], but the axe-blade snaps off of its shaft upon contact with its gunmetal-black skull.

"... I was going to tell you all that the [Wights] are three times as more resilient then your average [Skeletons], due to their bones absorbing enough surrounding carbon that their bones are basically made of diamonds."

"Well there's only one of them!" Itsuki stated. "We'll overwhelm it with sheer numbers!"

The [Royal Wight Inquisitor] then lets out a shrill cry that rattled everyone's eardrums.

After the cry passes, several [Skeletons] fall from the ceilings, landing on the earth in an undignified heap of bones.

... Some of which were the same color of a [Wight]'s.

The black-colored bones then begin to reassemble back whole, now standing beside their [Royal] compatriot.

"... By the way, the [Shield Hero] did state that the [Wight] was a [Royal], right?" Kefka asked. "If that's the case, then allow me to just inform you lot that that kind of [Affix] allows the monster to summon it's companions with it in battle, without stopping."

"So we take out the main sub-boss. Nothing's changed." Motoyasu stated right before charging on his own.

The [Wight] delivers a punch to his face with its [Gold Gauntlets], sending Motoyasu flying back facefirst towards Malty.

The two collide and eat the dirt below.

"... So much for nothing changing." Kefka pointed out. "... I'll be at the back, waiting for death."

The [Wights] then charge towards the party.

"[Crystal Shield]!" Naofumi then jumps in front of the company. "[Glimmer]!"

A flash of light shines towards the coming [Wights], stunning them.

"Everyone, attack!" Itsuki cried out.

"[Zweit-Fireball]!"

"[Zweit-Aqua Cannon]!"

"[Zweit-Lightning Bolt]!"

"[Zweit-Freeze Shot]!"

... None of their spells even activate.

"... Call me a betting man, but I think that one of the [Wights] might be responsible for this." Kefka pointed out.

Naofumi then observes one of the [Wights] bashing away at his shield.

"... [Heretical Wight Hermit]?" Naofumi mumbled.

"Oh dear." Kefka spoke out. "That [Affix] is the bane of all spellcasters, for as long as it stands, no magic can be used!"

"SO WHO DO WE TAKE OUT FIRST!?" Motoyasu cried out while fighting off a [Sturdy Wight Brawler].

The [Wight Inquisitor] then swings its rusted sword towards Ren.

Ren offhandedly blocks the blade with his copied [Dead Render], causing the blade to snap in two.

The [Wight] tosses its broken sword at Naofumi's face, but Raphtalia catches the blade by the hilt.

"... Raccoon lady!" Kefka's voice cried out.

She then looks up to find a leather-sheathed sword flying up in the air.

Malty tries to take it from the air, but the sword was too heavy for her to even lift, and knocks her out upon hitting her head.

Raphtalia simply picks the [Dead Render] off of Malty's unconscious body.

The raccoon girl then draws the serrated blade from the leather sheath, and swings the heavy blade towards the [Wight].

The blade digs into the [Heretical Wight Hermit]'s skull, but not deep enough to put it down.

Naofumi then grabs onto Raphtalia's hand holding the sword's grip, which both he and Raphtalia then drag the blade through the diamond-hard skull.

Ren then comes along and finishes the job by cutting off the skull from the crevice formed by Raphtalia's strike.

She at least gained some EXP from it.

"Alright! Now you can all use your magic-"

The [Sturdy Wight Brawler] then draws out its knife and slashes one of Itsuki's [Mages] by his throat, spraying blood everywhere.

With the whole company distracted, the [Royal Wight Inquisitor] then begins to barrel through the whole company with its flurry of [Golden Gauntlets], sending Itsuki, Motoyasu, and both of their parties flying in the air.

Seeing an opening, Ren, Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Terra all move in for the double kill.

Both Ren and Raphtalia hack away at the skulls of the [Wight Inquisitor] and [Wight Brawler] respectively, and upon their skulls being cut, Naofumi switches to his [Silver Edge Shield] and Terra takes off her ironclad shield and the two of them mount their respective targets, and bash their shield's edges on top of the cracks on the skulls, splitting them down and destroying them.

The barred gates open in tandem to everyone else landing back hard on the earth.

"... Well, at least we lived through." Kefka stated. "Also, apologizes for panicking earlier on."

"Whatever." Ren grumbled.

Naofumi picks up Raphtalia over his shoulder.

"Good work." He stated.

"Thank you!" The raccoon girl spoke.

Filo was still stamping the rest of the bones of the fallen [Wights] while giving Terra's companion on her shoulder the stink-eye.

The masked jester meanwhile, heads towards Motoyasu and extends his hand towards the fallen [Spear Hero].

"I only accept a maiden's hand." Motoyasu stubbornly refused. "Like Terra's over there."

"I can assure you, you'll get a fist your teeth instead." Kefka replied dryly. "... You can ask her if you want a firsthand experience, but concerning the time, place, and location, the notion is ill-advised."

"As long it's a woman's hand, I shall be happy." Motoyasu replied in a shameless tone.

"Oh, Lord Motoyasu~!" Malty swooned out. "Why wanting that drab woman when you have_ me_?"

Kefka turns away and later turns back to see the [Spear Hero] fully revitalized.

"Pardon my intrusion, but may I confide in you with a question, dear [Spear Hero]?" Kefka asked.

"And what is so important that you must waste my hero's precious time?" Malty bit out in a snide tone.

"Nothing special, just a bit curious." Kefka replied nonchalantly. "Don't worry. It won't take long."

"Well, by all means, I'll kill some time." Motoyasu yawned.

"Then here it is..."

Kefka then strums a note from his lute.

"What does being a [Hero] mean to you?"

"It's all the things that I can accomplish!" Motoyasu boasted. "Wealth, fame, recognition, I want to be revered and praised by everyone, because I want it and I'm gonna work for all it!"

"But you do realize that fame and fortune are only momentary, correct?" Kefka pointed out.

"I live for the moment." Motoyasu shamelessly admitted. "If life gives you an opportunity, then make the most of it!"

"... Well, I'm glad you're an optimist." Kefka sighed out. "Do forgive me asking such a blasé question."

"Is something the matter?" Motoyasu asked in a suspicious tone.

"No." Kefka responded. "It's just that while I see you as a good person, it seems that your lack of vision is making you do a potentially terrible job at it."

The masked jester quickly trots away with the sound of ringing following behind his steps trailing behind the [Spear Hero]'s party.

Mald then re-checks the coffin, only to find nothing but dead things and rusted ornaments too worn-down to be of any value.

"... Mind if I take those for myself?" Kefka asked the armored man. "Waste not, want not."

The armored [Fighter] grumbles and leaves, allowing Kefka to bag the trinkets to himself.

The dead were laid to rest after their bodies were burnt by the torch's embers and crude booze, and Terra returns from her scouting and whisper something into Kefka's ear.

"The way is lit, dear companions!" Kefka shouted. "That way lies the malignant presence that I was talking about!"

The masked jester then points to the tunnel with small bits of frost forming around it.

"Steel yourselves!" Kefka declared. "From here on, it's do or die!"

With their spirits reinvigorated, the company then heads down to the slowly-freezing alleyway.

With the exception of Naofumi and his party (Raphtalia is snuggling her head on Filo's feathers), the company was shivering and trembling like mad.

"... S-S-S-So Mr. [Shield Hero]?" Kefka asked while shivering. "M-May I-"

"I already heard you ask that question to the others." Naofumi stated. "And no, I don't even care about being a [Hero] anymore. I just want to survive in this world, and make sure I get back home by clearing the [Waves]."

"... True." Kefka stated in a somber tone. "Judging from your expressions, you seem to be rather... displeased of this little undertaking."

"I'm not." Naofumi bluntly answered.

"... But tell me, dear [Hero]." Kefka asked. "... Do you regret coming into this world as a [Hero]?"

Naofumi pauses his thoughts for a moment before shaking it off.

"What's your concern about it?" Naofumi asked.

"Your companion." Kefka replied bluntly.

Naofumi then shoots a sharp look at the jester.

"You got a problem?" Naofumi pointed out.

"No, just wondering." Kefka stated. "But allow me to leave my question on this note..."

The jester then strums a note on his lute.

"... If you can't be a [Hero], then be_ her_ [Hero]."

The jester then runs ahead towards where Terra was at, with her dragon-like companion now taking refuge inside of Kefka's clothes.

The two then stop in front of a sealed iron gate, with the temperatures now plummeting.

"Here we are!" Kefka announced. "Beyond these doors is the ghastly presence that I've felt! Dear [Heroes]! Only you can cleanse this evil from the face of this earth!"

"We made it this far, so let's get to it!" Motoyasu spoke out with bravado.

"No evil, how great or ancient, shall not escape our righteousness!" Itsuki declared.

"I'll make this worth my time. I swear it." Ren cooly stated.

"Let's get this over with already. The cold's not doing anyone here a favor." Naofumi pointed out.

The [Four Cardinal Weapons] then react to the sealed iron door, causing the seal to be released and a blast of frigid air sweeps across the whole company.

"Careful now..." Kefka warned. "... Moment we set afoot, it's no turning back."

***CCCRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEAK***

The gates open, and the_ fools_ willingly enter into the abyss.

***THUD***

... As the abyss stares _back_.

Eyes.

A pair of blazing,_ ultramarine_ eyes, brimming with_ hatred_ and burdensome _grudge_ to all the living.

The mistress _welcomes_ the adventurers.

... To their _final destination_.

As the _blizzard-like_ roar rattles their collective bones, the shrill cry of the undead now echoing in their minds.

_Death_ was tonight's host.

And now, the _feature presentation_...

***UBASHAAAAAAAAAAAA***

... The remnants of a [Dragon], now bent on killing _every last living being_ on this miserable plane of existence!

**Wyrmwight**

**Chilled to the bone (All 168 of them)**

* * *

**_To Be Continued..._**

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Darkest Dungeon is now full blast, nameless party member deaths, shovels clearing debris, booby-trapped curios, and a giant skeleton dragon as a [Dungeon] boss.

The Ruins are more hospitable, folks. At least our masked jester is keeping things bright (well trying).

Also, read the last part as if the Ancestor (Wayne June) was reading it.

* * *

**Stat Updates:**

* * *

**Name: [Fallen Hero], [Nan Hon-Jah]**

**Class: [Tome Fallen]**

**Level: 39**

**Affinities****: [All Eight Elements]**

**Alignment****: Neutral Evil**

**Equipment: [Forbidden Tome, Grimm the Heretic], [Iron Rune of Defiance], [Chthonian Cloak], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Portable Dragon's Hourglass], [Necromancer's Visage], [Mountaineer's Boots]**

**Attack: 51 (+45)**

**Defense: 47 (+35)**

**Agility: 47 (+30)**

**Luck: 40 (-30)**

**HP: 400 (+25)**

**MP: 500 (+200)**

* * *

**Name: [Garou]**

**Class: [Slave Brawler]**

**Level: 42**

**Affinities****: [Dark]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment****: [Assassin's Leather Armor], [Nightshroud], [Blade Gauntlets****], [Primal Claws], [Katars]**

**Attack: 51 (+50)**

**Defense: 39 (-20)**

**Agility: 46 (+65)**

**Luck: 32 (+20)**

**HP: 485 (-20)**

**MP: 185 (-100)**

* * *

**Name: [Fubuki]**

**Class: [Slave Monk]**

**Level: 43**

**Affinities****: [Ice]**

**Alignment****: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment****: [Twilight Gunstaff], [Darkbane Gauntlets], [Twilight Cloak], [Twilight Hunter's Hood], [Mana Medallion]**

**Attack: 48 (+45)**

**Defense: 36 (+30)**

**Agility: 43 (+25)**

**Luck: 36 (+20)**

**HP: 340 (-50)**

**MP: 555 (+150)**

* * *

**Name: [Byakko]**

**Class: [Cleric]**

**Level: 39**

**Affinities****: [Fire], [Lightning], [Light]**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Equipment: [Medic's Scalpels], [Faithful Suit], [Blessed Silver Chainmail], [Basic Medical Aid Utility Belt]**

**Attack: 41 (+5)**

**Defense: 35 (+5)**

**Agility: 45 (+15)**

**Luck: 34 (+5)**

**HP: 360 (+50)**

**MP: 360 (+50)**

* * *

**Name: [Genbu]**

**Class: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Affinities****: None**

**Alignment: ?**

**Equipment: [Wayward Nomad's Garbs], [Silver Pocket Watch & Chain] (also referred to as [Silver Pocketwatch]), [Silver Sword], [Fafnir's Flametongue]**

**Attack: ?**

**Defense: ?**

**Agility: ?**

**Luck: 9,999**

**HP: ?**

**MP: ?**

* * *

**Name: [Seiryu]**

**Class: [Tyrera Queen Fighter]**

**Level: 33**

**Affinities****: [Water]**

**Alignment: True Neutral**

**Equipment: [Steel Bludgeon], [Barbarian Armor], [Barbarian Helm], [Berserk Rune], [Berserker's Mantle], [Chimera Teeth Necklace]**

**Attack: 35 (+70)**

**Defense: 33 (+35)**

**Agility: 17 (+20)**

**Luck: 10 (-10)**

**HP: 460 (+200)**

**MP: 30 (+20)**

* * *

**Name: [Suzaku]**

**Class: [Filolial King Rouge]**

**Level: 33**

**Affinities****: [Fire]**

**Alignment: True Neutral**

**Equipment: [Vermilion Robes], [Rouge's Cowl], [Mark of the Apex Predator], [Celestial Rune of Protection], [Mark of the Godspeed], [Mark of the Shadow Dancer], [Mark of the Apostle]**

**Attack: 46 (+20)**

**Defense: 5 (+5)**

**Agility: 55 (+50)**

**Luck: 48 (+20)**

**HP: 70 (+20)**

**MP: 70 (+20)**

* * *

**Name: [Wyndia]**

**Class: [Fighter]**

**Level: 25**

**Affinities: [Fire] & [Wind]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Pitchfork], [Matchlock Pistol]**

**Attack: 30 (+20)**

**Defense: 20**

**Agility: 25**

**Luck: 5**

**HP: 200**

**MP: 100**

* * *

So, what do you guys think of this Epic?

How will the [Four Cardinal Heroes] will survive this encounter?

And how many fingers will be lost from the frostbite!?

... Leave a comment or a review, for I'd love to hear your thoughts!


	15. Epic 15: The Depths Part Finale

**_Continuing self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_Waiting for Season 2..._**

**_Finger Count: 5/10_**

**_Eye Count: 1/2_**

**_Sanity Meter: 22%_**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

_**Epic 15: The Depths Part Finale**_

* * *

The [Wyrmwight] was a malignant presence taken too far.

The draconic visage, once majestic, now tainted with malice.

Fangs and horn, now blades reflecting a night sky.

It's presence, once overwhelming to the hearts of man, now soul-crushing the mortals to submission.

And its eyes, now hollow, within nothing but hatred to all the living...

... And its eternal damnation in the pitch-black pits of its long-dead soul.

**Name: [Baleful Wyrmwight]**

**Class: [Boss Encounter]**

**Level: 44**

**Affinity: [Ice] & [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Evil**

**Item Drops: [Draconic Fang x40] (70%), [Dark Soul x2] (45%), [Advanced Magic Ore x20] (20%), [Empress Core x1] (5%)**

**Attack: 50**

**Defense: 55**

**Agility: 4**

**Luck: 4**

**HP: 40**

**MP: 900**

"W-W-WHAT THE HELL!?" Malty screeched out in horror.

Itsuki and Motoyasu's whole parties then goes into another collective panic attack upon the [Wyrmwight] glaring upon them.

"TAKE THE OTHERS! NOT ME!" The [Abusive] Mald cried out.

"A-A PROPER LADY DOES NOT VOLUNTEER HERSELF FOR SLAUGHTER!" A [Fearful] female [Cleric] screeched out.

"W-We've been dealt out! GET US OUT OF HERE!" The [Fearful] male [Fighter] cried out.

"My spirit longs for the air that it shall never breath ever again..." A [Hopeless] female [Mage] mumbled out while cowering.

The [Wyrmwight] then lets out a shrill roar, causing few of the panicking party members to die from a _heart attack_.

"... Welp, it was nice knowing all of you fine folk." Kefka stated. "Excuse me, I shall be elsewhere, waiting for death."

Filo, too angry to feel fear from a [Dragon], charges in headfirst.

"FILO, NO!"

The [Wyrmwight] swats Filo away into the walls with one of its claws, knocking her out cold.

Upon seeing Filo downed, it then begins to charge up its breath attack.

"FILO!"

Naofumi then jumps in with his [Legendary Shield].

"[Shield Prison]!"

A dome of iron plates encase Filo as the blue flames roared out of the [Dragon]'s maws.

Naofumi then spots_ frost_ forming around the area that the azure flames where being spewed onto.

_"It's [Ice], not fire!?" _Naofumi panicked.

"FILO!"

The blue flames cease, revealing a block of ice surrounding the [Shield Prison].

... Said encasement crushed like a tin can.

Filo HP bar was still yellow, but steadily dropping.

"Hang on, Filo!" Naofumi shouted. "I'm going to get you out!"

He then switches to the [Silver Edge Shield] and begins triggering [Slash Counter] by bashing the shield's surface, in hopes of carving out the ice before the cold kills Filo.

The [Wyrmwight] then lets out another roar, and causing more [Skeletons] to fall from the ceiling.

"More [Wights]!?" Ren bit out as he readied his [Dead Render].

The gunmetal-black bones then begin to glow with aquamarine-colored runes as they slowly put themselves back together.

Two rune-covered [Wights], both wielding a pair of [Silver Axes], both wearing horned helmets and pelt-crusted and dented breastplates, emerge from the cold dust with a ear-piercing cries of savagery.

"... We're all going to die." Kefka mumbled upon seeing the pair of horn-helmeted [Wights].

"What are those!?" Motoyasu cried out.

"... [Liches]." He gulped. "Basically [Wights], but stronger and can also use magic."

"... Both of them are level 41 [Harrowing Lich Berserkers]." Itsuki whispered out.

"... Oh no." Kefka whimpered. "Those [Affixes] mean that they're going to go after the most fear-vulnerable party members!"

Both of the [Lich Berserkers] then charge at _Motoyasu's_ party first, wildly swinging their dual axes like pinwheels, sending arms and heads alike flying into the air.

Discontorted sounds of agonized screams echo throughout the frostbitten chamber, slowly eroding the [Heroes]'s resolve.

The [Wyrmwight] then turns its attention on Itsuki's party.

"H-HOLD YOUR GROUND-"

The [Wyrmwight] stamps onto the ground, erecting several spires of sharpened bone out of the earth, impaling several of the [Bow Hero]'s party member, and killing them dead.

Malty, Motoyasu, Elena Haven (the only _other_ member left miraculously alive in the [Spear Hero]'s party), Itsuki, Mald (used three of his own members as human shields), and Ren were now caught between the two [Lich Berserkers], and a very _angry_ [Wyrmwight].

Meanwhile, Naofumi was still trying to rescue his filolial, both of his hands, now bleeding from grabbing the [Silver Edge Shield] by its edge, in hopes of digging Filo out faster (It didn't, he barely dug past six inches).

"... Is this the end?" Elena whimpered.

"Our journey can't end here..." Mald's voice broke.

"I REFUSE TO DIE IN A PLACE LIKE THIS! ESPECIALLY WITH THE SHIELD HERO!" Malty freaks out.

"I knew it! This place was a trap!" Motoyasu broke down.

"No! No! NO! JUSTICE CAN'T FAIL!" Itsuki cried out tearfully.

Ren's eyes goes completely blank.

_"So I'm going to die... again."_ Ren thought.

"FILO!" Naofumi cried through the ice as his attempts grew more desperate.

_"I'm going to die..."_ Ren thought._ "... And I'm going to die as a failure."_

_"Again."_

His last visions as blood flowed away from his brain were the perpetrator's and his girlfriend's shoes running into together.

... He swore he saw the color _red_ at that moment.

**[Despair Sword 2] Upgraded into [Despair Sword 3]**

Ren's [Legendary Sword] slowly transforms into a black and silver-colored double-edged sawtoothed flamberge with a semi-circle tip covered in jet-black aura.

All over Ren's body, black demonic runes begin to engrave onto his body, infusing him with a flood of malignant energy.

"... Ren?" Motoyasu asked.

A [Lich Berserker] then jumps towards Mald with [Silver Axe] in both of its hands.

Ren knocks back the [Lich], but does no damage to it.

**"[Double Negative]."**

A purple magic circle appears on _both_ of the [Lich Berserkers].

The mark then disappears into them, right before they explode into tiny bone fragments.

**"[Double Negative]. A skill that activates if my attacks fail to deal any damage to an opponent. Once activated, all monsters with the same name with the one inflicted by the triggered skill will take lethal damage, ignoring all elemental resistances."** Ren stated.

But before he can run towards the [Wyrmwight], Ren's [Despair Sword 3] ceases function, causing Ren to collapse onto the floor.

Meanwhile, Naofumi was growing more and more desperate with his digging.

"DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT!" Naofumi roared out tearfully. "WHY!? WHY AM I NOT BREAKING THROUGH!?"

He then faintly hears tapping from the _inside_.

"... Filo!?"

Naofumi then begins digging through the ice faster, seeing the hope that Filo can still make it out.

Raphtalia then begins to chip through the ice with her [Iron Longsword] at the same spot where Naofumi was chipping away at.

The tapping begins to grow slower and slower.

"FILO HANG ON!"

The tapping then gets slower and slower...

_"No..."_ Naofumi thought. _"... No, NOT NOW!"_

Something then begins to burn inside of his very soul.

The world around Naofumi goes pitch-black, and a figure wrapped in flames appeared before him.

**DON'T BE A [HERO], NAOFUMI.**

**BE _THEIR_ [HERO].**

**[Wrath Shield 2]: Activated**

With a bellowing roar, Naofumi's shield then begins to take a more draconic form.

Black and red in color, wings and horned skull as its visage, the gem at the center turning blood-red, and hellfire itself emitting from the [Shield Hero]'s very presence.

**"Not on my watch..."** Naofumi snarled out. **"... [Wrath Aura]!"**

Naofumi, Raphtalia, and even Filo, who's trapped inside of the coffin of ice, begins to emit hellish blaze from their very souls, wearing away at the surrounding permafrost like a block of butter in a stone oven.

Filo, now empowered by [Wrath Aura], breaks out of her prison, and the three begin to charge towards the [Wyrmwight].

The skeletal dragon then breathes out its ice-cold flames once again, but it simply dissipates like fog underneath the sun's rays.

Then both Naofumi and Raphtalia begin to speak in unison.

**Malevolent spawn of the** **arcane arts of the most profane...**

**... Your actions have deemed thy beyond redemption.**

**For your crimes against all those who are innocent and righteous...**

**... Thy head shall be taken as tribute!**

White-hot black-colored chains then emerge from the earth, anchoring the [Wyrmwight] down.

**[Shield Prison]**

A black-colored axe with a handle on each end and a blade of blood-red fire materializes above the [Wyrmwight]'s neck.

**[Slash Counter]**

Naofumi and Raphtalia then jump up towards the dual grips, using their combined weight to bring the black guillotine down.

**[Wrath Aura]+[Shield Prison]+[Slash Counter]=[Brimstone Beheading]**

The blade makes contact.

The [Wyrmwight]'s ultramarine eyes fade.

The flames around Naofumi peter out, right before he, Raphtalia, and Filo fall on the earth tired.

"... Friggin' killstealer." Motoyasu mumbled.

Naofumi slowly crawls towards Raphtalia and Filo, both severely weakened by fatigue.

Terra then comes by and hoists the two over her shoulders, and heads towards the [Shield Hero].

"Thanks..." Naofumi grumbled out.

The veiled [Fighter] nods before leaving.

The masked jester then hoists the [Sword Hero] behind its back.

"... What?" Kefka pointed out. "Just being a decent person."

Behind where the [Wyrmwight] once stood, a passageway opens.

"... This better not be another boss." Itsuki grumbled.

The remaining company, now wary from their losses, slowly traverse their way into the new passage.

As they continue to walk down the path, Kefka then begins to feel the [Sword Hero] squirming himself awake.

"Oh!" Kefka remarked. "I see that you're well."

All the [Sword Hero] can do is groan.

"Hang in there." Kefka stated.

The company then eventually find themselves in a chamber filled with chests and gold scattered about.

"HELL YEAH!" Motoyasu shouted as he then ran ahead towards the treasure.

"Finally, compensation." Itsuki sighed out.

The company then begins to gorge on the horde, only to run into another problem.

"Okay, how is the loot going to be divided?" Kefka pointed out.

"Isn't it obvious?" Malty pointed out. "The rewards should be proportionate to the [Hero]'s performance. Henceforth, I declare that Lord Motoyasu receives 60% of the gold, Ren and Itsuki each receive 15%, and the [Shield Hero] gets 10% of the cut."

"Wait!" Raphtalia interjected. "Master Naofumi should be the one getting the 60%! The [Spear Hero] and the [Sword Hero] were flung around like rag dolls during the fight with the [Wyrmwight]!" She pointed out.

"Shut up, you damn demi-human!" Malty spat out. "The [Shield Hero] only intervened right after he was wasting his damn time with the giant chicken!"

Filo squacks out in disgust.

Itsuki remained neutral, for while he hated Naofumi as much as everyone else, even he knew that defending the princess's faulty logic went against all common sense.

Ren was too knocked-out to even speak, but at least he [Weapon Copy]ed a [Wyrmbane], and anti-[Dragon] weapon.

So while the majority of the company were degrading themselves to ceaseless squabble, the jester and the bodyguard...

... Are _nowhere_ to be seen.

**Outside...**

The felled [Wyrmwight] laid there, motionless, lifeless, and above all else, dead twice over.

A cloaked figure approaches its skull, as it lays its hand on the felled beast.

**"Now is not the time to be dead, _Yaelia_."**

A red droplet splashes onto the skull.

The felled draconic undead rises up once more, but now with this unholy incantation, it exceeds its previous might, and now reaches new heights of unfathomable strength!

The queen of [Wights] now reigns supreme as the queen of all [Liches]!

**Yaelia**

**One ugly motherf*cker (An actual mother, swings both ways)**

The cloaked figure is then greeted by the jester and the bodyguard.

**"Shall we get this party started?"**

**Back at the treasure room...**

"Well you're calculations were wrong!" Raphtalia shouted at Malty's face. "That is clearly not 48%!"

"Ha! How can an uneducated animal like you know anything about commerce!?" Malty sneered. "Hell! I bet you don't even know the meaning of the word 'commerce'!"

"Master Naofumi has been kind enough to teach me the ins-and-outs of how to run an independent establishment!" Raphtalia barked out with her tail stiffened upwards. "And for the record, that word means the activities relating to buying and selling of goods and services!"

"Oh!? Like how that rapist bought you!?" Malty jabbed back. "I'm sure that he's disappointed in your _'services'_!"

The two then go into the world's lamest catfight, mainly because _no one_ (not even _Naofumi_), were giving a crap.

Even _Motoyasu_ was dead inside of due to how many of his party members died right in front of him.

So to summarize, here's the following:

Ren is currently pocketing more gold into his pocket without anyone noticing.

Itsuki and Motoyasu [Weapon Copy]ed [Wightshot] and [Wyrmhorn Spike] respectively.

Naofumi also [Weapon Copy]ed a [Wyrmwing Shield] and a [Lich Shield], while investigating the seemingly-empty chests that appeared on random.

And Filo was taking a nap along with the surviving party members from other parties, for they were too tired to even move.

But before anyone can continue on, rumbling sensation was felt.

"What the hell was that!?" Naofumi spoke out. "Filo! Raphtalia! Let's go!"

The raccoon girl kicks the wine-red-haired princess off of her, and the filolial stands back up and runs with the other two.

The rest follow suit, and eventually, they find a rather horrific image.

"HOW THE FUCK IS IT EVEN STILL ALIVE!?" Motoyasu cried out.

"... I think it might've gotten_ stronger_." Itsuki pointed out.

The [Wyrmlich] was now standing front of them, fangs bared, flames emitting frost, and eyes blazing with hatred once more.

... Though not for long.

**"[Capture]."**

The gunmetal-black skeleton dragon was then sucked in elsewhere, revealing a masked and cloaked figure, missing an arm, and with a certain tome chained around his right wrist.

Ren then slowly gets out of his funk as he then begins to see who the figure is.

... As he tosses out a _skeleton_ wearing a gold and green jester's outfit.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

**"WASSUP, BITCHES!?"**

And after several days of waiting, I finally make my scene.

"YOU!" Motoyasu yelled out. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!?"

I flip him off.

**"Mooching off of you pricks."** I stated. **"Sure as hell beating this pain in the ass [Dungeon] on my own..."**

The spear bastard then charges at me.

Now normally, I would sling a spell at his ass and get it over with, but you know what?

... Time to spice things up.

Suddenly, I do the splits, with my thighs and torso forming a perfect 90-degree angle...

... And a right hook wound all the way back to the back of my head.

Johnny Cage, muthafucka!

*CRACK*

I then spot all the males from the company _wince_ upon seeing the "Christmas Stories: Nutcracker Collector's Edition".

... I swear, I think I heard Motoyasu's pelvis _shatter_, but at the same time, I do not regret it in the slightest.

**"Booya."** I stated while I slid my legs back together.

... Ooof, that also did a number on my _own_ crotch. Need to take yoga afterwards.

But it was all worth it to see and lick off Motoyasu's tears off of his face.

And next to me, the "veiled bodyguard" appears.

"... Terra?" Ren spoke out. "Don't tell me that you're on his side-"

She then takes off her [Survivor's Veil], revealing a pair of reddish-brown dog ears from her head.

"... You." Ren heaved out. "Wyndia?"

**"Like what you're seeing, brotha?"** I spoke though my [Necromancer's Visage].

He then notices that her [Dragoon's Pike] was covered in blood.

"... Oh god, you killed him." Ren heaved.

**"Oh hey, last name's Shit Sherlock, first name's No."** I snidely remarked.

"... You... you-"

A blood-red aura envelops the [Sword Hero].

"Might wanna speak up, buddy." I called out.

**"YOU MURDERER!" **

Ren's [Legendary Sword] then transforms into a similar aesthetic that of Naofumi's [Wrath Shield].

The temperature around Ren then skyrocket.

**"DIE NAN!" **Ren roared out in a voice of [Legion].

He then jumps up, and a magic circle forms on my chest.

**"[Cremation Blade-****Kravyād]!"**

A slash of fire comes towards me from the air.

**"[Full Coating]." **A rainbow-colored veil then bounces off the flame slash off of me.

**"[Double Negative]!"**

The magic circle on me then explode, sending me back flying, and knocking off my mask.

Thank god [Silver Wolf Maw] is literally _stapled_ itself on my missing cheek.

"Congrats, jagoff." I told Ren. "You managed to scratch me, but barely managed to scuffle my brows."

I was bluffing. That actually felt like a punch to a gut.

Still pisses me off though.

"My turn."

I then open Grimm's pages.

You know what I've been doing for the past two weeks?

Well... I'll just let this play out by itself.

"[Lich Breath]."

A [Wyrmlich]'s head pops out of Grimm's pages and breathes out a stream of icy winds that encase our dear [Sword Hero] in a block of ice.

"Chill out, buddy." I stated while sliding his ice cube back to where the others were.

I then look at them while I pick my mask back up.

"Anyone else?" I asked before putting my mask back on.

Naofumi gets into a defensive position with Raphtalia and Filo (who's still not evolved into a [Filolial Queen] yet), Motoyasu was hastily begin dragged back where Ren was at, and Itsuki, now pissed off, pulls back his arrows and begins to shoot at me.

"[Hundred Arrows]!" The [Bow Hero] shoots up into the air and arrows begin to rain upon my head.

**"Yawn."** I deadpanned.

I open Grimm's pages and begin to do something that I've learned during the past two weeks (roll with it).

**"[Spellcrafting: Fusion]."**

[Shield Prison]+[Nil Coating]=[Deny Aura]

Both me and Wyndia turn completely monochrome, and the [Hundred Arrows] just pass through us as if we were intangible.

Undeterred, Itsuki, against all logic, rushes towards me until his bow and arrow were _point-blank_ at my chest.

"DODGE THIS!" Itsuki roared out. "[Lightning Arrow-"

*SHUCK*

... What a friggin' _sucker_.

Because the [Tome Fallen] before Itsuki...

... Was my dear Doppio, now evolved from a [Perfected Homunculus] to a [Doppelganger].

And as for me...

... The skeleton of "Kefka" was not only my Bend acting as my dummy, but also as my dummy right arm this whole time.

And beneath the poofy sleeves, emerged my partner-in-crime, Grimm, and in my right hand...

... Was none other then the [Sacrificial Dagger] staked into his back.

Okay, here's the whole summary of my plan:

First, I disguise as myself as "Kefka" with Wyndia disguised herself as "Terra", with the quest of 150-million gold commissioned to the local guild hall as lure.

Then, [Summon] Bend into my new clothes for his arm to act as my left arm, so that my missing arm wouldn't stick me out like a sore thumb, all the while, the [Four Heroes] and their party members took me with them, with none the wiser.

Next, upon encountering [Affixed-Skeletons], I use my "wait for death" excuse to [Summon] Doppio as my body double, with his new skill as a [Doppelganger], [Replicate], to copy all my current stats, personality, equipments, and then switch back into my old equipment and sneak back to the [Dungeon]'s entrance with [Shadow Dash] (mastered it under Garou's instructions).

After that, with Dystopia #156326 and #201547 stationed underneath our (me and Doppio's) clothes, both me and "Kefka" will continue exploring the [Dungeon] as planned, with me taking Itsuki's path that he'd neglected to take, leading to a secret room where I "recruited" a [Wight Nobushi] (Gendou) and a [Wight War Cleric] (August), which the two of them led me to a secret treasure room...

... Where I found extremely rare loot.

[Wight's Rune of Spite] (passively grants debuffs to whoever deals damage to me), [Geas: Mind Diver] (my replacement eye that doubles as a mind control device, felt like my brain was being literally raped physically upon installation), and weirdest of all...

... How the actual fuck did these bastards get their hands on my _smartphone_!?

You know what, I _just_ also remembered that I had my smartphone with me in my hoodie pocket on the night I got _isekaied_ here, so I've might've gotten separated from it.

Which explains why it's at 2% battery, but I let Grimm devour it, upgrading my [Playlist] with [YouTube] (not Premium), and at that point, I just realized that I just turned my HUD into a goddamn browser screen.

... It's less convenient than you think, just take my word for it (adpocalypse).

And finally, I resurrected the felled [Wyrmwight] (even got to learn [Double Negative] and [Brimstone Beheading] package] from "Kefka"'s Dystopia #201547), into its upgraded form, [Wyrmlich], and the fight took less than a minute with me [Summon]-spamming while chugging on [Intermediate Mana Potions] like crazy (that I stole, all of them), recruited Yaelia (Gaelion's mate), and upon them finding me, I secretly [Spellcrafted] (I learned that from the two weeks that I was planning) the following equation:

[Teleport]+[Replicate]=[Swap-Equipment] (let's me switch places with someone else's equipment, but equipment takes priority, meaning that we swap places with our clothes, not the other way around)

Now? I played the four of them like a goddamn kazoo, while "Kefka" and "Terra" looted the other treasure chests right after by sparking a scuffle with the other party members (Malty's entitled bitch status was really easy to exploit), and relay back to where I was, had Doppio [Replicate] into Bend's form, played the situation to my favor, and now gave Itsuki his own dose of his [Cursed Series], and Malty, I'm not saying that you should learn from me...

... But you are beyond outclassed compared to my wit.

You're smart and all, but I'm more deadly long-term.

EVERYBODY GOT THAT!?

"YOU BASTARD!" Mald then charges towards me.

**"Wyndia."**

She then points her ironclad shield towards Mald...

... As she pulls the pin.

*BLAM*

Ten holes.

Now on Mald's chest in a circle, spewing out blood.

**"Gyan gyan gyan gyan, ni hao gyan! Gorgeous, delicious and deculture!" **I danced to Macross Frontier's Nyan-Nyan tune while referencing the Gyan's shield that Wyndia was holding (or at least its medieval equivalent).

*THUD*

... Another one bites the dust.

"... Was that a _gun_!?" Naofumi shouted out.

**"****... ****A [Hybrid Weapon], exactly."** I stated. **"A cross between a [Shield] and a [Musket], I had the blacksmith make it for me during well..."**

I then clear my throat before I began speaking.

**"Would you like to hear a story?"** I spoke in an emulation of Marcus Kincaid's voice.

**Around those two weeks ago...**

_Me and Wyndia were looking around Melromarc after we posted the 150-million quest, for some supplies, shovels, and whatever the others didn't need._

_Hey, they said one's man's trash is another man's treasure (all mine!), and I'm not a picky guy, so me and Wyndia had some stall foods (Wyndia had chicken kabab, I had an apple)._

_Then we decided to snoop around where the slaver's tent was at, only to find it gone._

_"Huh, must've scared him away." I muttered._

_Then, I heard cries for help._

_And Motoyasu, ignoring those cries._

_"... Damn ladykiller." I thought. "I knew you were incorrigible, but not cold-blooded!"_

_That's my schtick, dammit!_

_So when Motoyasu was out of sight, me and Wyndia snuck into the whorehouse to find out where the cries were coming from._

_Wyndia __shot the seedy-looking receptionist with [Matchlock Pistol] in the head._

_"Let's move." _

_Both me and Wyndia took off into the hallways, wasting bouncers left and right and smearing the hallways with blood and guts, and leveling up steadily._

_I then kick down the door, and find a girl being held hostage by a nude fat bastard._

_"Dude, put some pants on." I begged while looking away._

_"Please!" I heard the woman cry out. "Please save me, [Tome Hero]!"_

_I smiled._

_"Fear not!" I invoked All Might's tone. "For I'm here!"_

_"ONE STEP CLOSER, AND THE GIRL DIES-"_

_*SHRUCK*_

_"Try doing that when there's a harpoon between your eyes." I snarked._

_I then came towards the girl, she hugged me, and we both heard her story._

_"... Yep, its official." I stated in a calm, yet calamitous tone._

**_"I am going to castrate that motherfucker."_**

_Then I registered into my party._

_Rino was a level 14 [Rouge], and needing lots of hugs._

_Me and my party loot the whorehouse, free the unwilling ones, and burn down the whole house along with the rest upon cleaning it up._

_"Hm?" I looked at the round shield's rear that Wyndia found at the pimp's room._

_A string-pin, and a ring magazine?_

_... I have an idea, but first, I need to make a few calls._

_I sent the rest of the ex-slaves to a refugee camp that I had set up inside the [Abandoned Research Facility], and went to the blacksmith to appraise the weird round shield, and repair it, if possible._

_Wyndia equips the [Burst Shield], took camp in front of the [Lost Catacombs], and waited for my plan to come in motion._

**Switching POV: Naofumi**

Naofumi couldn't believe what he was hearing.

He sort of knew that Motoyasu was an asshole, but an asshole to _woman_?

Pigs were flying at this point.

**"By the way, the answer to that little riddle back then?" **Nan stated smugly.** "Neither horse makes it to the finish line, because both of them are too tired to even move, and the wolves devour them whole."**

He then places his miniature hourglass onto the floor, creating a glowing magic circle beneath their feets, causing the whole frigid underground depths to start trembling.

The floor beneath them gives out, causing all of the [Four Cardinal Heroes] and their parties (what's left of it), all fall into a deep, dark hole.

Ren and Motoyasu land on top of each other, Itsuki gracefully lands on his feet, and Naofumi stomp-lands and catches Raphtalia in his arms.

They find themselves below Nan's smug and bemused gaze.

_**"Are you familiar with the movie, Indiana Jones? Temple of Doom? Harrison Ford? Karen Allen?"**_ Nan asked in a crazed tone._** "Well you're all Jones and the ceiling above your heads are the exact same boulder that's going to crush you all."**_ Nan stated sporadically.

The tremors then begin to grow more intense.

Then a giant sphere of black iron appears behind Naofumi and the rest of the [Four Cardinal Heroes].

_** "It's rolling!"**_ Nan gleefully announced in a demented tone._** "RUN RUN RUN RUN!"**_

No one questions it starting running like hell as the indestructible sphere of death heads towards their way.

The line between ally and enemy was now gone, it's everyone's effort to make sure that they don't get squashed under the metal ball of death.

"FILO!"

Filo squacks in agreement, and pitches up Naofumi and Raphtalia by her head to her back and begin running.

"[High-Quick]!"

Naofumi then buffs everyone's Agility stat and they begin to run faster.

"MASTER! LOOK!" Raphtalia pointed out.

A light at the end of the tunnel.

The remaining company then sprints towards the light, and find themselves in a massive cave, with the boulder now rolling off-course away from them.

[High-Quick] wears off, and everyone but Naofumi's party collapse in exhaustion.

"We... We made it..." Itsuki heaved out.

Malty then vomits on the floor.

Motoyasu then feels his crotch before screaming into the air.

"MY BALLS ARE GONE!"

Ren was dead spiritually, as seen by the look of his eyes.

Naofumi then sniffs the air.

"... Why do I smell gunpowder?"

He then looks up.

_Powder kegs_, used by miners.

"EVERYONE, RUN!"

A fire arrow strikes one of the kegs, lighting the fuse.

*BOOM*

Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Filo, all managed to get out before they were caved in.

"... Are they alright?" Raphtalia asked Naofumi.

"They'll be fine." Naofumi stated.

Filo then suddenly turns big.

"Fio! Fio!" Filo chirped out in joy.

"... Well, at least we won't have to walk back home." Naofumi remarked.

The three then ride off into the sunset and through a burnt village.

"Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked. "Can I tell you something?"

"What is it?" Naofumi asked.

"... I now officially hate that guy."

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

"WE'RE HOME!" I cried out with Rino, Wyndia, Doppio, Bend, and the loot in two. "How are the refugees?" I asked Byakko.

"Happy and healthy for the past week." Byakko informed.

"Nan." Garou spoke out in an irritated tone.

I look at the twins, both were grimacing like hell.

"... Is it because I took in humans?" I asked.

"Yes." Fubuki snarled out.

I sighed out.

"... Look, they did nothing wrong." I stated. "I only killed those humans because they tried to do us in first. I refuse to practice double standard on both human, and demi-humans. Regardless of who the hell they are, if they're bunch of pieces of horseshit, then that asshole dies bleeding, understood!?"

Both twins look at me with surprised looks.

"... I'll take that as a yes." I then walked away and headed towards the Nexus.

I place my [Portable Dragon's Hourglass] on the circle pad, and suddenly, the whole [Archive] begins to tremble right before it stops.

"[Crypts], [Sparring Area], [Storage], [Roaming Grounds], and [Ritual Grounds] added to the [Archive]." My HUD read.

Neato. I'll check later, for I need to wash

I then head to the showers, and begin to wash my shoulders and face.

I then feel something... _hairy_ on my chin.

"... Since when the hell did I grow a beard?"

** Switching POV: King Aultcray Melromarc **

The king was having a rough year, to say the least.

One, an outlier was summoned along with the [Three Cardinal Heroes] and the scapegoat.

Two, said outlier turned out to be more of danger than anticipated, as shown by the reports of him slaughtering the Melromarc's Royal Guards for leisure, vandalising and looting both the Church of the Three Heroes and the Royal Palace, and slowly gathering power by steadily recruiting demi-humans and monsters alike, only alive because the [Tome Fallen] _allowed_ it to.

And three, above all else, his plans to discredit the [Shield Hero] has now come to a complete halt due to the [Tome Fallen]'s interference, worse, the other nobles are now shifting their focus away from discrediting the [Shield Hero] to plans on how to stop the [Tome Fallen], making him lose support_ record time_.

_"He's just a filthy bandit."_ Aultcray rationalized._ "He's just a damned crook whose power has gone to his head."_

He then sweeps his hand across the study desk in rage, scattering various papers about.

**WANTED: DEAD**

**[Royal Renegade], [The Treasonous]: ****Rey Cierto**

**Crimes: High Treason, Rebellion, Embezzlement of Royal Funds**

**Reward: 60,00,000,000 gold**

_"The traitor."_ Aultcray grimaced._ "I thought he was a close ally during the war, but he just had to choose the demi-humans over his own kind."_

**WANTED: DEAD**

**[Wraith of Wrath], [Angel of Death], [Red Ripper], [Vampire Queen]: Anges ****Carmella**

**Crimes: Assassination, Mass Murder, Destruction of Infrastructure**

**Reward: 44,444,444,444 gold**

_"The mass-murderer, spreading her presence from Faubley all the way to the shores of __Q'ten Lo, she's a monster wearing a human's skin."_

**WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE**

**[Alchemist of Anarchy], [Crow Doctor]: Celsius ****Cordovan**

**Crimes: Illegal Possession and Manufacturing of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Possession of Numerous State Secrets, Arson**

**Reward: 95,000,000,000 gold**

_"The madman."_ He thought._ "His thirst for knowledge, __unquenchable like his taste for destruction."_

**WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE**

**[Deep Diver], [The King of Pirates], [The Drowned God]: Drake ****Desmond**

**Crimes: Robbery, Piracy, Kidnapping, Possession of Multiple Important Hostages**

**Reward: 99,000,000,000 gold**

_"The whole reason why the Southern Seas are dreaded."_ Aultcray thought._ "A commander of 4,000 armed vessels so formidable, that not even Faubley's navy could even so much as touch it."_

**WANTED: DEAD**

**[Subterranean Scourge], [The Undertaker], [Underworld King], [The Sharp-Nailed Black Knight]: Spitznagel Schwartzritter**

**Crimes: Arson, Vandalism of Public Property, Natural Defacement, Illegal Entry of Melromarc, Kidnapping of High-Profile Figures**

**Reward: 70,000,000,000 gold**

_"Out of all demi-humans, he's the one that I despise the most."_ Aultcrey gritted his teeth._ "A veteran of the Melromarc-Siltvelt War, his trail of blood hasn't stopped ever since, continuing to kill my people because he feels like it."_

**WANTED: ALIVE**

**[Mad Mechanic], [Clockwork Castilian], [God of Gears]: Ottovot Bismark**

**Crimes: Illegal Mass Production of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Collusion with Foreign Powers**

**Reward: 80,000,000,000 gold**

_"Out of all of these criminals, he's the one that makes the least of sense."_ Aultcray grimaced._ "A man of no allegiance, but works with other countries in order to build... something. Just what the hell is he even up to!?"_

**WANTED: DEAD**

**[God of Glaciers], [Herald of Cataclysm], [The Rapture], [Ruination Incarnate]: Götterdämmerung**

**Crimes: War Crimes, Defection, Person of Mass Destruction, Manslaughter, Destruction of Ten Dukedoms, Seven Border Fortresses, and Two Villages, and One Instance of Delivering a Cart Full of Severed Heads of Several Nobles, Important Foreign Officials, and Faubley's 6,844th Queen Consort into Melromarc's ****Capital**

**Reward: 190,000,000,000 gold**

_"The sole man responsible for causing the international tensions to happen in the first place." _Aultcray dreaded. _"Rumors state that he's over 700 years old, and yet, there had been reports that he's still alive, punching down glaciers, swimming in the ice-cold oceans of the North for leisure, and claimed the entire Northern Hemisphere as his domain!"_

**WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE**

**[Tornado of Terror], [Scourge of the Skies], [Whirlwind Wraith], [The Snatcher]: ****Palomar Polnareff **

**Crimes: Theft of Top-Secret Technology, Piracy, Robbery, Kidnapping, Illegal Entry of Melromarc, Mass Destruction of Several Dukedoms and Marrying Duke Idol Rabier's Daughter**

**Reward: 90,000,000,000 gold**

_"The definition of a 'loose cannon'."_ Aultcray ruminated._ "Doing whatever he wants, sparking wars across different dukedoms and countries for his own amusement, and nigh-impossible to touch, all because of him stealing Faubley's experimental airship that he dubbed 'l__' Tempête', meaning that he can commit all of these crimes without consequence, all to satisfy his freewheeling ways!"_

**WANTED: ALIVE**

**[Wildfire], [The Despoiler], [Dark Architect], [Fallen Hero]: Nan Hon-Jah**

**Crimes: Manslaughter, Arson, High Treason, Assault against Royalty, Grand Theft, Fraud, Vandalism of Royal Property, Incitement, Multiple Attempts of Assassination of the [Three Cardinal Heroes] and Princess Malty Melromarc**

**Reward: 150,000,000,000 gold**

All thoughts are erased upon seeing his stuck-out tongue and his middle finger as he flipped his study desk over in rage.

**King Aultcray Melromarc**

**Seriously needs to retire (How old is he again?)**

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

"Alright!" I shouted out. "I have a plan for our next objective!"

"Where now, laddie?" Genbu spoke out while pouring wine into a silver chalice.

"Call me crazy, but this idea just popped into my mind." I smiled.

As proven by our previous incursion, my [Cursed Series] have bitten chunks off of my levels and stats for each use, so the least I can do is to keep leveling up.

Melromarc is starting to get a little stale when it comes to level-grinding, so I thought a change of location is what we need.

And besides, creating more leverage and allies are a good thing.

Tune in for next time, as me my party...

"... We're heading to Siltvelt, the country of Demi-Humans, and the sole source of the crowned bastards woes and salt."

* * *

**_To Be Continued..._**

* * *

**Author's Notes: **And with that, the Depths Arc has come to an end!

The incursion was brutal, the deaths were sudden, and the betrayal was a literal stab to the chest.

For the next month, I'm gonna focus on my other fics because obligations!

Also, may I be so presumptuous, but can someone put this fic up on the "FanficRecs" Page on TvTropes? This fic needs the love it deserves, and I want my hard work to be known to more people.

If so, thank you!

Also, about [Affixes]:

**Sturdy: **Grants [Inorganic] [Encounters] a 50% to resurrect back into full HP and MP

**Berserk: **Cannot use Skills, Attack stat buffed 400% (buff cannot be removed)

**Overclocked: **Cannot use Skills, Agility stat buffed 400% (buff cannot be removed)

**Starving: **Every time it kills a party member, it will regain HP proportional to the killed target's HP (can only be used three times before [Affix] is removed)

**Nimble: **Agility stat cannot be lowered

**Royal: **Can call upon other [Encounters] for assistance

**Heretical: **All units cannot use [Magic] Skills until [Encounter] is destroyed, stat penalty of 50% to its defense

**Baleful: **Inflicts [Horror] status to all enemies every 5 minutes

**Harrowing: **Prioritizes on targets inflicted with [Horror] status, and then with the lowest HP

Also, real-life note:

As of starting writing this Epic (4 July, 2019), my dad is now currently hospitalized with _Leukemia_, and my whole family is going through some major stress right now.

If my posting becomes infrequent, then that might be the reason why.

I'm personally an agnostic and pseudo-atheist myself, but I just hope to God that my dad makes it through.

He's barely past fifty, dammit, and I want to see him during my college graduation with the rest of my family.

Please pray, for I do not know how.

* * *

**_Stat Updates (Revealed Dummy Party):_**

* * *

**Name: [Hero Hunter] [Nan Hon-Jah]**

**Class: [Tome Fallen]**

**Level: 43**

**Affinities****: [All Eight Elements]**

**Alignment: Neutral Evil**

**Equipment: [Forbidden Tome, Grimm the Heretic], ****[Enigmatic Trickster's Garbs], [Visage of Joy], [Mystical Jester's Cap] [Songbell Shoes], [Bard's Lyre], ****[Wight Rune of Spite], [Silver Wolf's Maw], ****[Geas: Mind Diver]****, [Portable Dragon's Hourglass]**

**Attack: 56 (+85)**

**Defence: 53 (+20)**

**Agility: 51 (+50)**

**Luck: 48 (+75)**

**HP: 480 (+75)**

**MP: 580 (+150)**

* * *

**Name: [Wyndia]**

**Class: [Fighter]**

**Level: 32**

**Affinities: [Fire] & [Wind]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Evil**

**Equipment: ****[Esper Robes], [Silver Breastplate], [Survivor's Veil], [Fool's Visage], [Fog Gloves], [Dragoon Pike], [Burst Shield]**

**Attack: 38 (+50)**

**Defense: 27 (+50)**

**Agility: 35 (+20)**

**Luck: 9 (+5)**

**HP: 270 (+50)**

**MP: 150 (+100)**

* * *

So what do you readers think about this mindfuck of an Epic!?

Please leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience are thinking!


	16. Epic 16: The Meeting

**_Continuing self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_Waiting for Season 2..._**

**_Finger Count: 5/10_**

**_Eye Count: 2/2_**

**_Sanity Meter: 52%_**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

_**Epic 16: The Meeting**_

* * *

Okay, a few questions that you may ask.

First, why am I heading to Siltvelt in the first place?

To answer that, a few things:

One, Melromarc's [Encounters] are starting to get stale, and their [Item Drops] are starting to getting really stale, so a change of scenery is needed.

Two, I need to get out more. Melromarc is not exactly my cup of tea, and not just because people want my head on a pike (I appreciate free EXP, but it's starting to get old).

And three, I want to explore this continent a bit more, since the source material doesn't cover other nations until post-CTH (Church of the Three Heroes) Arc, so might as well jump the gun.

The privileges of being overleveled. It's a blessing and a curse.

Oh, and as for the refugee camp, they're safe. Guarded by Cue, Eight, Alpha, Beta, Chi, Doppio, Strelitzia, and Gaelion were keeping watch around the area surrounding the [Abandoned Research Facility], and inside, Byakko, Suzaku, Seiryu, and Wyndia were keeping order.

With me are Rino, Garou, Fubuki, and Genbu, on top of Aabidah's back, flying in the air, above the clouds...

... And the oxygen was plenty, despite the air in this altitude being so stingy with oxygen.

Then again, I just learned that Aabidah's Passive Skill, [Gale Aura], forms a veil of wind around herself, creating a steady supply of oxygen so that she can potentially fly up to space (she only did it once, and will never do it again), so that might explain why I didn't suffocate the first time when we met.

... And the fact that my [YouTube] can only show music-related contents only, so no anime-related content or TF2 Stereotypes. Oh, and my [Hero Hunter] title was unlocked after I attacked all [Four Cardinal Heroes] at least once each.

Eh, less distractions, the better.

"So..." Rino asked, now equipped properly and part of my party, despite being low-leveled. "... Why Siltvelt? I mean, I understand and all that Melromarc isn't treating you kindly, but you're heading into a Demi-Human superimist territory."

"That, I am painfully aware." I replied. "Which is why I need to."

"For what?" She asked once more.

"For answers." I answered. "Of how and why this kind of dichotomy exists aside from the given knowledge."

It's not the fact that I cannot comprehend the idea of racism, but it's my personal experiences with it that made me so adverse to it in the first place.

Proof?

My whole family, back in the real world, got our Green Card status _denied_. After a decade of waiting for our approval since our arrival to our country. And the only reason why we weren't deported?

Lawyers, good friends, and the fact that the term "Stupid Watergate" was coined by John Oliver for a _reason_.

#fuckdonaldtrump

... And I mean that wholeheartedly.

"... So enough of that, why don't we just sit back and enjoy our little vacation?" I stated. "Because if there's one thing that everyone should know about politics, it's that it makes people miserable."

Everyone nods.

Then Genbu offers me his flask.

"Wanna sip?" He asked.

"No thanks." I replied. "I don't drink, and I have to be sober right now lest I fall off about a thousand feet from the air."

The [Gremlin] then sips on his own flask as the rest of us remain silent for the remainder of our trip.

I then take this opportunity to look around the sky, with nothing but say...

[Griffins], other, but smaller [Rocs], [Harpies], [Aerial Automotions] (basically Raider Gundam, but with medieval/clockpunk aesthetics)-

... Wait.

"... Why are there so many [Aerial Automotions] closing in on us-"

Then one of them fires a ballista bolt towards me.

"OHSHIT!"

The metal harpoon stakes onto Aabidah's skin, allowing them to reel themselves in towards me.

"EVERYONE! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" I barked out. "BATTLE STATIONS!"

Then my whole party goes on the offensive.

I then took this chance to [Analyze] this new threat.

**Name: [Overheating Aerial Automaton Type-****α****]**

**Class: [Rare Encounter]**

**Level: 42**

**Affinity: [Wind] & [Lightning] ([Fire] Added)**

**Alignment: Lawful Evil**

**Item Drops: [Advanced Magic Ore x5] (70%), [Peppermill Volley Gun-Prototype] (10%), [Steam-Propellent Morningstar-Prototype] (10%)**

**Attack: 37 (+20)**

**Defense: 43 (-20)**

**Agility: 40**

**Luck: 0**

**HP: 400 (-100)**

**MP: 0**

... Should I be glad that I'm glad that I learned the [Affix] system back at the [Lost Catacombs], otherwise, this could've easily turned out badly as one of my runs at the [Courtyard] against the [Baron].

... Only my Flagellant survived.

And [Overheating] was right. Those clankers were not only glowing red, but also slowly setting Aabidah's feathers on fire.

Gotta end this quick.

The clanker then begins to fire at be with its dual volley guns mounted onto its right arm.

"WHOA NELLY!" I yipped out as I ran from the bullets.

It then transitions to its left arm, swinging its steam-powered flail at me.

"GRIMM!"

The two chains then intertwine with each other, which we then pull on each other, causing a stalemate.

"Let's try this..." I muttered. "[Spellcraft: Fusion]!"

[Shield Prison]+[Shocktouch]=[Electrocution Chamber]

A sphere of shields then encase the [Automaton], then electricity runs across Grimm's chains and into the [Shield Prison].

The [Automaton] comes out completely roasted, and I [Capture] the sucker.

"Need more allies." I muttered. "ISHMAEL!"

The [Archangel] then appears from Grimm's pages, at my aid.

**"To what do you desire of this one, mortal?" **

A beam of [Wind] and [Lightning] magic strikes across Ishmael's face.

**"... This one needs to know no more of what's going on." **Ishmael stated in a dour tone. **"This one shall bring the cretin back as a corpse before your feet."**

I then [Analyze] the [Encounter] that Ishmael is flying towards with its blue-flamed sword.

**Name: [Steady Aerial Automaton Type-****β****]**

**Class: [Rare Encounter]**

**Level: 42**

**Affinity: [Wind] & [Lightning]**

**Alignment: Lawful Evil**

**Item Drops: [Advanced Magic Ore x5] (70%), [Dual-Attribute Mana Generator] (10%), [Silver Scythe] (10%)**

**Attack: 39 (+10)**

**Defense: 39(-20)**

**Agility: 30 (-10)**

**Luck: 15 (+10)**

**HP: 400**

**MP: 200 (+50)**

Okay, first Raider, now Forbidden.

"The [Silver Scythe] is a dead giveaway." I snarked as Ishmael's [Sword of Sacred Light] melted through the [Automation]'s hulls like hot knife through a block of butter.

One [Capture] later, [Aerial Automaton Type-β] was now mine.

"Okay..." I sighed out as the rest of my party were finishing cleaning up the rest of the stragglers. "... Where's Calamity?"

I then spot a shine of green and yellow from the corner of my eye.

"[Full Coating]!"

The rainbow-colored veil around me reflects the dual-colored laser off of me.

"Aabidah? You holding out fine?" I asked.

**"Almost forgot how the skies were..."** She remarked.** "... But even in my memory, I do not remember it being this perilous."**

"Now you tell me..." I muttered out. "...But then again, I didn't ask."

But more importantly, where did that laser come from?

**"... Umm, kid?"** I heard Grimm.

"What?"

**"Look up."**

The eight of us outside then see an imposing silhouette hidden behind the clouds.

Emerging from the veil was a zeppelin-like airship-oh who am I kidding.

"IT'S A MUTHAFUCKING _HIGHWIND_!" I cried out _not_ out of nerdy joy.

But out of pantsshitting terror.

Why?

... It's not the ship that makes the ship so intimidating.

But it's the _captain_ helming it that makes it so formidable.

**Name: [Whirlwind Wraith] [Palomar Polnareff]**

**Class: [Grandmaster]**

**Level: 126**

**Affinities: [Wind]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Whirlwind Rapier, ****Zephyrus], [Storm Armor****, Garuda****], [Typhoon Helm, ****Kukulcan****], [Tornado Cape, Fujin], [Celestial Eagle Rune of Bravery, Altair], [Mark of the Storm God, Susano'o]**

**Attack: 137 (+125)**

**Defense: 110 (+85)**

**Agility: 150 (+235)**

**Luck: 151 (+200)**

**HP: 1,375 (+500)**

**MP: 1,500 (+500)**

... Yep. Only one option left.

"AABIDAH! FLY AWAY!"

The [Roc] then begins to fly away from the airship, as said airship begins pelting cannonballs towards us.

"HOLD ONTO YOUR BUTTS!" I cried out.

One of the cannonballs rip a hole _through_ Aabidah's wings.

"... Frick."

I hate _worf effects_.

Then Aabidah starts plummeting towards the earth beneath the clouds, with all of us holding onto her quills for our dear lives.

I then try to think of a landing strategy.

"AABIDAH! GET BACK INSIDE GRIMM!" I ordered.

**"BUT YOU'LL FALL TO THE GROUND!" **

"WE'RE FALLING EITHER WAY!" I cried back. "I NEED TO REFORMULATE OUR LANDING!"

**"WHATEVER YOUR PLAN IS, IT BETTER WORK!"**

She then goes into Grimm's pages, and the rest of our party engages in free-falling.

"[Summon-Aerial Automaton Type-α]!" I cried out. "[Summon-Aerial Automaton Type-β]!"

The scaled-down versions of Raider and the Forbidden Gundam appear out of Grimm's pages, catching us Garou and Fubuki.

Ishmael catches Rino, Genbu, and me in his quartz-white arms.

I then look above the clouds, and see that the shadow above our heads begin to move _away_ from us.

"... Why is it turning back on us?" I stated worryingly.

Then another laser form might-be-Calamity Gundam almost fries Ishmael's back.

Me, Rino, and Genbu go down to the ground as Ishmael returns into Grimm's pages.

"NAN!" Fubuki cried out as the three of us were falling to the ground.

"[Spellcraft: Fusion]!"

[Airstrike Shield]+[Shield Prison]+[Gale Aura]=[Wind Balloon]

A sphere of wind forms around the three of us as we fall.

And just in case, I decided to do add something for safety.

"[Dritte Iron Aura]!"

All of us are now covered in a silver-colored aura, grant the three of us an [Defend] status.

"Whatever you do, don't look down-"

**"Nan, look down!"**

The last thing I see before the impact was an array of roof tiles.

**Switching POV: ****Palomar Polnareff**

A figure lands on a flying ship's bridge with the sound of clap from his shoes hitting the deck.

The figure is then greeted by men wearing an assortment of full-face mask and thick leather longcoats with fur-trimmed collars.

**"WELCOME BACK, CAPTAIN POLNAREFF!"** The men roared out in unison.

The verdant-armored captain, clad in part military regalia, part knight's plate armor, both decked out in trims of gold, in metal and lace, salutes his men before heading back to his chambers.

In his quarters, a woman dressed a simple, yet elegant dress in sky-blue, her hair, tied in a bun behind her head, was waiting with two boys and an infant girl.

"Welcome back, dear." The woman kissed the man's helmeted cheek.

**"Oh Effie Polnareff, my dear wife..." **The man's sauve voice swooned through the vents of his helmet as both of his gloved hands caressed her cheeks. **"... At least let me take off my helmet before I receive your kiss."**

The man takes off his helmet, revealing a rugged, yet still-eye-pleasing blond-haired man with messy blonde hair and trimmed beard, and a pair of blue eyes staring into the woman's eyes.

"Now may have that kiss?" Effie asked.

"You needn't ask, dear Effie."

The two peck then lips for a moment right before Palomar sits on his study desk in the middle of the room.

"So..." Effie asked. "... Why did you attack the infamous [Dark Architect]?"

"It was a mere test, you see." Palomar pointed out. "Had to make sure that the [Tome Fallen] has earned his stripes, and not just dumped onto him by that blithering idiot of a king."

"So did he pass you test?" She asked while corraling her two boys out of the study's doors.

"... Above average." He replied. "He has lots of power for someone of his youth, but even he knows when he's outmatched."

"Was it out of cowardice that he ran?" She asked.

"Oh please, all brave men start as cowards." Palomar pointed out. "It's through experience that they learn how to assess their own strengths and weaknesses, and that eventually becomes wisdom."

"... And judging by your tone, you seem pleased with your evaluation, correct?" Effie asked.

Palomar then looks at the [Tome Fallen]'s bounty poster.

"... At least the boy's got a good head on his shoulders." He replied. "And a sense of madness that might surpass the rest of us..."

A female crew member in the standard uniform of the _l' Tempête _comes in with a trolly carrying a pot of tea and cups on their saucers.

"Maybe next time, when he gets stronger, I'll invite the boy and his friends for a cup of tea..." He remarked as he looked out of his window. "... After I raid Q'ten Lo for their leaves, of course."

He then turns to the woman pouring his wife cup of tea.

"Gabby dear." Palmer stated. "Will you inform Wilhelm to write down 'raid Q'ten Lo for a batch of Chrysanthemum tea'? Haven't had that for a good while."

"Yes captain." She stated as she finished pouring Effie's tea.

"Now _monsieur_ [Tome Fallen]..." Palomar mused. "... I hope to see you much stronger before you enter my skies ever again, lest you and your merry band get torn to pieces from my _l' Tempête_'s cannonfire."

He then sips on the tea while looking at Nan's bounty.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

My head was banging from the impact.

My vision was blurry from the blood overflowing into my head.

And my nose was overwhelmed with scent of dust and...

"... Cinnamon cookies?" I muttered.

I slowly open my eyes, and find me, Rino, and Genbu surrounded by armed guards, wielding [Steel Tridents] and [Steel Tower Shields], all of them, with ears and tails sticking out of their helmets and armors.

"... Quick question, are we in Siltvelt?" I asked one of the armed guards.

"And you and your kind are not welcome here." He snarled out.

Responding to the hostility, Grimm lashes out and bites off both of his arms.

The guard is then reduced to a wailing and armless wreck.

"... Any volunteers?" I asked.

"NAN!"

Above me, Garou and Fubuki, along with the Raider Gundam and Forbidden Gundam come crashing down above me.

The guards go into panic upon seeing my backup.

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!?"

From the doors, a white tiger demi-human (round white ears and tail) male dressed in fancy, noble like clothing, with a pair of glasses covering his glaring and bag-ridden eyes.

"Hey there, good sir." I called out. "Can someone tell me what the hell's going on?"

"You fell through the bloody roof, so you're not in a position to ask what's going on." The man pointed out. "Give me a good reason on why I shouldn't sell you and that girl to the local slavers and be done with you now."

"I have a carnivorous tome who just ate off one of your men's arms, and and more than happy to eat your fucking heads off if you so much as _try_ to fuck with me or my party." I claimed. "That, and well, I'm currently looking for someone."

"Just who are you looking for?" The man leered.

I let out a sigh before continuing.

"... The explanation is gonna take a while." I mentioned. "Can we just all like, sit down for a moment and talk elsewhere?"

They all look around the wrecked room, and then I notice a stack of mangled books beneath my butt.

"... Oh and, I'm assuming that all of these are yours?" I pointed towards the white-tiger demi-human noble.

"... Yes." He snarled out.

I then let out another sigh.

"... I'll make room."

**One Extremely Awkward Cleanup Later...**

And after about an hour, the maids and butlers (along with a few other human slaves) came into the wrecked study (just learned that) to clean the mess up, as me, my party, Raider ([Aerial Automaton Type-α]), Forbidden ([Aerial Automaton Type-β]), and the lord of this manor walked down the halls and into the dining room.

"... Excuse my temper." The lord stated.

"Can't blame you." I responded while gaining [Poison Immunity] from drinking his tea (bastard was dumb enough to try drugging me).

"... As I was saying." The lord adjusted his glasses. "I am Marquis Khronos Gaia Hakuko, current lord and leader of the Hakuko Party of the Siltveltian Royal Parliament."

"Name's Nan Hon-Jah. [Tome Fallen], got summoned into this hellhole unwillingly when I was in the restroom, and now the whole kingdom of Melromarc is after my head, but I got bored and left." I summarized. "My party, Garou and Fubuki, twin demi-human slaves that I took in as my siblings-in-arms, Rino, ex-whore turned assassin-in-training, and Genbu, a [Gremlin] that I found latched onto my back during the previous [Wave], and our party's residential functional alcoholic."

"... Quite a hodgepodge of a band you've assembled." Marquis Khronos pointed out. "So tell me, what was your story like in Melromarc, the very enemy that was complicit to my clan's demise?"

I then adopt my Marcus Kincaid voice.

"Have I got the story to tell you..." I started. "... But first, can you tell me how many kinds of [Heroes] can you recall from the top of your head?"

"There are the [Three Cardinal Heroes], [Sword], [Spear], and [Bow], and there's our [Shield Hero], along with out [Mirror Hero], the [Claw Hero], and the dreaded [Wand Hero] from that bastard Sage-King, Aultcray." Khronos snarled out. "I myself was the former [Gauntlet Hero] during the Melromarc-Siltvelt War, until our loss in that war cost me my title, along with the majority of my possessions for failing the king."

"Wait, time out." I cut in. "[Heroes] went on geopolitical conflicts despite said title indicates unity between all kingdoms to unite against a greater threat? Why? I mean, sorry for being potentially naive, but looking at the grand scope of things, I'm starting to think that you guys, the humans and the demi-humans with their little dichotomy, are a bigger threat to each other then the actual [Waves]." I pointed out while trying not to lose my cool.

"... To be honest, we really didn't think about that." Khronos confessed. "I mean, us [Heroes] just did what our kings told us to do, and we've assumed that everything would work out in the end."

The epitome of Lawful Stupid, ladies and gentlemen!

And I'm starting to realize that the KFC Queen from the original source material was starting to become_ right_ about her opinion, which is bad on multiple fronts.

I know power corrupts, and that people in the post-medieval era aren't the brightest...

... Actually, you know what, I'm not going to even bother with the soapbox.

"Headache-inducing stupidity aside..." I grumbled out. "... I'll start with my story."

I then clear my throat.

"So, I was summoned to Melromarc along with your kingdom's Hero and the [Three Cardinal Heroes]..."

I then notice Khronos glowering.

"... How?" He snarled out.

"My guess?" I pointed out. "Your guess is good as mine. So anyway..."

I clear my throat before speaking.

"... I was summoned with the four others, and as soon as I saw the king's face, I made a friggin' run for it, pickpocketed a few civilians, got myself a chainmail for protection, got attacked by the [Royal Guards] while traversing down an alleyway, my buddy Grimm finally awoke and we both started killing fools left and right, went to a slaver's tent, bought Garou and Fubuki, met more [Royal Guards], killed and looted them, then killed more [Royal Guards] and drunken [Thugs] alike, looted them as well, got out of Melromarc as soon as daylight was burning, and spent the next few days skipping in and out of Melromarc for supplies, and by the time the [Wave] started, I was already formulatiing my plans to deal with my current circumstances, executed it, burnt down the [Three Heroes Church] and the [Melromarc Royal Palace], made another run for it, then after that, I just kinda dicked around with my party, grinding for EXP, loot, and whatnot, while giving the [Three Cardinal Heroes] a hell of a time, and I even got to castrate one of them."

"Please tell me it was the [Spear Hero]." Khronos stated with anticipation.

"Bastard earned it after selling her to prostitution." I pointed towards Rino. "For an additional bonus, I even got burn off half of the elder princess's face off."

"THANK YOU!" Khronos cried out in cathartic joy as he smashed his own teacup against the floor. "... So what of the [Shield Hero]?"

"After the king disenfranchised him and made him go breaking bad?" I stated. "... Met the dude once, both he and his raccoon-girlfriend punched me in the face, I stabbed him back, gave him a few pointers on how to survive this hellhole, we both walked away without any grudges, so yeah, we're peachy."

Awkward silence fills the room, not that it stops my twin surrogate baby siblings from devouring their ninth portion of meat.

"... Also, sorry about stabbing him." I apologized. "It was a heat of a moment and I lost an arm about a few hours prior."

"... Partial good news is still good news." Khronos mumbled. "So tell me, [Tome Fallen]..."

Khronos then adopts a "Gendo-pose".

"... How did you end up falling from the sky and into my manor?" He asked.

Alright, time to bite down and go in hot.

"I was on my to Siltvelt in the first place so that I may be able to gather information of the whole geopolitical situation from this whole controversy of Melromarc hoarding the [Four Cardinal Heroes] all to themselves, so the first thing I outta do was to head to the country where it was affected the most, that being Siltvelt, with what their icon being stolen and whatnot." I explained.

"A little extreme, but considering the circumstances surrounding you..."

He then looks at my party, Garou and Fubuki burning through trays of meat, Genbu, already on his eighth bottle of wine, and Rino, looking extremely tense around the glaring guards.

"... I'm assuming that this is par for course?" He pointed out.

"It gets weirder." I stated. "Since during our little ride there, we got attacked by an airship-"

"Stop right there." Khronos cut in. "... Did you say _airship_? As in, a flying boat?"

"... I'm starting to feel that our encounter pre-crash landing was that of a stroke bad luck?" I asked meekly.

"Tell me." He asked. "What did it look like?"

Realizing that talk was cheap, I just [Summon] Raider and Forbidden for proof.

"... You have _his_ [Automatons]." He gasped in disbelief.

"Please tell me more." I begged.

"Okay, short story even shorter, you've faced Palomar Polnareff, the [Whirlwind Wraith], the [Scourge of the Skies], and the [Tornado of Terror], and_ lived_." Khronos pointed out with extreme importance.

"... Okay, what kind of hornet's nest did I end up cracking open?" I asked in a horrified tone.

"Hornet!?" He pointed out. "Try a _dragon_."

I then gulp.

"... Can I get more information on that potentially-apocalyptic scenario that me and my party might've stepped into?" I asked with butterflies in my stomach.

He just hands me a poster with a suspiciously-familiar looking visage.

"... _Propeller Knight_, is that you?" I mumbled.

That level 126 [Grandmaster] was literally Propeller Knight from Shovel Knight. Although it explains why he had the airship, but not the steampunk Gundams.

"... I might've ended up stirring the big fish." I mumbled.

"You did." Khronos stated. "What's dangerous about him is not the fact that he's powerful, but the fact that he's unpredictable and unreachable."

"I think the latter might not apply to be since, well... I have a giant bird and a [Dragon Emperor] back at base camp."

"Of course you do..." He mumbled. "... Just when you see him again, make sure you fly the other way, understood?"

"Cross my heart, and hope not to die." I promised. "So, wanna hear how the king's faring?"

"With you causing him massive headache from burning down his castle and scarring his eldest daughter?" Khronos responded. "Oh please, thrill me."

"I killed his [Royal Guards] right in front of him during the post-[Wave] celebration." I stated. "And I shut him up with a [Fireball] shot behind him."

The white-tiger noble then begins howling with laughter in tandem with the entryway into our chambers, revealing two very-familiar-looking white-tiger demi-human siblings, and a woman who looks likes a saintly version of Malty, but a bit older (but still pleasing to the eyes, despite her being around Aultcray's age).

"... I'm assuming those three are related?" I asked.

"Why yes!" Khronos stated in a jubilant tone. "This is my third wife, Malva, and these two are my kids, Atlas and Fohl."

Jackpot. Future [Gauntlet Hero] and [Compassion Shield] found.

As for Lady Malva...

"... I have a question." I asked the nobleman.

"Please, go on!" He replied cheerfully (dude did a 180, and I have nothing to say about it).

Deep breath, calmed heartbeat, and then ask, tactfully.

"... Is your wife related to _Aultcray_?"

All noise dies in the room.

Way to go, asshole. So much for being tactful...

I then hear claws extend out of Khronos's fingertips right before he slowly approached me like a predator cornering its prey.

**"Try me."** He snarled out.

"WAIT!"

Between us, Malva intervenes, not even fazed by the bloodlust emitting from Khronos.

**"Get out of my way, Malva."** He snarled out. **"Get out of my way, or I swear to-"**

She then gives him a kiss on the cheek, in which Khronos's bloodlust subsides.

"Better?" She cooed.

The white-tiger noble nodded.

She then turns towards me and my slightly-freaked-out party (Genbu was knocked out from the booze, Rino was foaming from the mouth and pissed herself).

"I apologize for my husband's rude behavior." Malva apologized.

"No no, the fault was mine for me ruining your husband's good mood." I replied. "... How he didn't kill you after all these years?"

"Even I do not know, nor do I question why..." She replied as Fohl dragged Khronos under his shoulders out of this room.

"Reverse Stockholm Syndrome?" I pointed out.

"What is this... 'Stockholm Syndrome'?" She asked.

Oh right, Fraud didn't exist in this time period/era.

**One (Brief) Explanation Later...**

"... And reverse that, is basically when the captor falls in love with the captive, and that's the summary of your life for the past... 20 years?"

"... That does explain why my life has been so hospitable despite my untimely abduction." Malva stated in a deadpan tone as Atlas fanned her mother. "So how is my younger brother been doing, aside from everything else?"

"Can I be blunt?" I asked. "Like, [Warhammer]-to-an-exposed-skull-kind of blunt."

"Surely, it wouldn't be that bad-"

"He deliberately screwed over the [Shield Hero] since the beginning, only thanks to my untimely abduction from my own world, that I've thrown a wrench to his plans." I stated.

She groans in frustration.

"I knew my brother was a demagogue even before he married into the Melromarcian royal family, but to this extent?" She bemoaned.

"I would say it might have to do something with age, but coming from you, it's been around long before, correct?" I asked.

She nodded.

"... My thoughts of this world destroying itself before the [Waves] can?" I stated in an exasperated tone. "Yeah, not even remotely budging."

I then spot Atlas walking towards me.

"... Your heart." She spoke out. "It's full of rage and turmoil long before you were summoned here..."

"What can I say?" I replied. "We all have baggage."

"... It's not just you." She went on. "The twins... all I sense from them are rage, bubbling like boiling water, and the human girl, I see a scar of... _betrayal_?"

"If the [Spear Hero] didn't just think with his cock, then maybe she wouldn't have that." I pointed out. "... No offense."

"I shot him once with a flaming arrow." She smugly replied. "There's nothing to be offended about."

I give her a thumbs-up.

"As for the [Gremlin]..." Atlas went on. "... I can't see anything."

"Genbu has amnesia." I pointed out as he lit a cigarette.

"... Now that I see it." Atlas stated. "Your whole party is united by a bond forged from mutual pain and suffering, rebelling against the tide of hatred with all of your collective strengths, driven by a dream to change the world..."

"Okay Lady Atlas, you could drop it with the psychoanalysis." I pointed out.

Yeah, while she was going on with her little speech, I had my [Bird Eyes] scout the surrounding area (as always), and spotted a group of armed men, all of them lizardmen, with a blue banner depicting a dragon-like sigil on it.

"... There are lizardmen with dragon banners heading towards here, and I'm assuming that they're here to kill us all?" I asked.

**"WHAT!?"** I heard Khronos roar out from the outside of the dining room.

"... Who is it now?" I asked. "If it's an enemy, then leave it to us. Just tell us who they are."

**"IT'S THE AOTATSU!"** Khronos cried out. **"THEY CAME HERE TO FINISH US OFF AFTER THE PREVIOUS WAVE!"**

Now everything made made sense.

I then remember a very important detail.

The Hakukos, specifically, Atlas and Fohl, were sold into slavery _after_ their family fell into shambles.

What if I prevent that?

I mean, Naofumi will short two allies, but hey, nothing personal.

"Show me the door." I asked Malva.

She nods and leads my party down the hallway.

"So now what, Nan?" Rino asked as she primed her bow.

"Do as we've been doing since day one."

I then flex my fingers in my right hand.

"Fight, kill, loot, and run like hell."

Then the front doors are kicked down, pouring in several blue-scaled lizardmen, all decked out in armor and weaponry.

**Name: [Aotatsu Lizardmen Knight****]**

**Class: [Knight]**

**Level: 45**

**Affinity: [Water]**

**Alignment: Lawful Evil**

**Item Drops: [Silver Shortsword] (70%), [Silver Buckler] (70%), [Intermediate Health Potions x10] (30%)**

**Attack: 40**

**Defense: 40**

**Agility: 20**

**Luck: 20**

**HP: 350**

**MP: 100**

"Yep, they're here to kill us like fucking _Stasi_..." I muttered as one of them charged towards me without hesitation.

Grimm catches the blade with his teeth, and the lizardman then tries to sock me with its buckler.

"[Shocktouch]!"

Electricity passes through the metal blade and shield, cooking it inside out.

"Alright then.." I muttered as my party fended off the other lizardmen.

Raider and Forbidden were smashing through their ranks like bowling pins, Garou and Fubuki were basically turning these lizards into cold-cut deli, and Rino and Genbu were taking potshots at the lizardmen with arrows and vases alike.

"Ishmael." I [Summoned] the [Archangel]. "Waste them."

**"At once."** Ishmael then rips through their ranks out of the door.

"Baraka, Iliad, Crunch, Yaelia."

[Manticore], [Chimera], [Skeleton Ogre], and [Wyrmlich] were summoned from Grimm's pages.

"... Kill every last ONE OF THEM!" I ordered.

You mess with my family, you mess with all of us.

"Time to join in on the fun." I stated. "CRUNCH! MAKE SURE THAT THE MARQUIS'S FAMILY IS SAFE!"

The horned [Skeleton] giant nods right before he heads off into the interiors.

"Now then..."

Grimm opens his pages.

And this time, no [Cursed Series].

"[Spellcraft: Fusion]."

[Glacier Rain]+[Lich Breath]+[Shield Prison]=[Frozen Tomb]

The remaining [Lizardmen] all freeze to death, and generous amounts of EXP were rewarded.

"Grimm, how is it outside?" I asked.

**"Second wave's comin' in hot!"**

I then hear _cannonfire_.

"... Oh frick."

I just now remembered that Siltvelt and Faubey have a trade agreement, with the latter supplying _gunpowder_.

A cannonball smashes through the manor walls, nearly hitting my face.

"EVERYONE! PUSH FORWARD!" I roared out. "SECURE THE CANNONS!"

My party then pushes through the ranks, with more cannonfire greeting us.

"[Spellcraft: Fusion]!"

[Deny Aura]+[Iron Aura]+[Nil Coating]=[Rebound Aura]

The golden aura then rebounds the cannonball back to the cannons, wrecking the opposition.

"CRUNCH!" I called out. "THE FAMILY!"

Crunch lets out a roar, with its bony arms carrying the family of four.

"DON'T GET THEM KILLED! THEY'RE AFTER THE SIBLINGS!"

I then redirect my attention back towards the Aotatsu faction, with my brain broiling in rage.

"... Once again, my perception on this world has been thrown to the mire once more." I snarled out.

A [Lizardman Cannonier ([Musket] & [Shield])] shoots its [Steel Blunderbuss] at me, sending a softball-sized cannonball hurling towards my head.

Against all logic, I caught the cannonball with my right open palm, with all inertia instantly dying upon contact.

"... You first."

I then crush the lead softball in my grasp.

"[Spellcraft: Fusion]."

[Lich Breath]+[Bad Breath]=[Death Breath]

A [Dark]-element stream of black vapors spew out between my lips, causing the [Lizardman Cannonier] to rot into a skeleton in less than ten seconds.

"Now then..." I then spit out a loogie. "... Who wants to die next?"

A [Lizardman Arbalest ([Bow] & [Shield])] takes a potshot at me with its [Silver Siege Bow].

I catch the sword-sized arrow between by [Silver Wolf's Maw].

"Next to die, comin' right up!" I stated in a demented glee while activating [Spellcraft: Fusion].

[Spectrum Break]+[Glimmer]=[Spectrum Shine]

A sudden flash of rainbow-colored light sears onto the [Lizardmen]'s scales, sending them careening and blinding them.

My party then finish the rest of them off, with Rino finally hitting level 40, making her available for [Class Promotion].

"Alright, headcount!" I cried out. "Sound off!"

Garou, Fubuki, Rino, Genbu, Khronos, Malva, Fohl, and Atlas.

The servants, both butler and slave alike were all slaughtered like pigs.

**"NAN!"** Grimm cried out. **"A POWERFUL PRESENCE THAT OF A [Hero] IS COMING TOWARDS OUR WAY!**

"Shit..." I bit out. "Only thing left to do..."

**Switching POV: Aotatsu Faction**

"Hurry up, you imclicles!" A man's voice barked out. "We're short on time, so pick up the pace!"

In the carriage, was a young man with sky-blue hair tied in a braid, wearing a blue and white tunic with beige pants and a pair of boots crafted from the leather of a [Basilisk], tanned to oak-brown perfection, and resting on the bridge of his nose was a pair of glasses, right above his blue-scaled cheekbones, and wrapped around his right hand was a white-colored iron glove with a singular sky-blue orb encrusted at its center.

The carriage pulled by two [Brute Tyreras] stops right in front of a corpse-littered manor.

The door is then open by a [Lizardman Monk], letting out the noble-looking man.

**"Duke Siegfried Fafnir Aotatsu has arrived!"** A [Lizardman Paladin] bellowed out.

The whole surrounding forest goes silent after the leaves shake in the wind.

"... You blithering idiot, there's no one here to hear that declaration!" Duke Siegfried barked out at his subordinate.

"But the land itself must acknowledge your presence!" The [Lizardman Monk] stated. "For you sir, are Siltvelt's [Claw Hero]-"

"The land doesn't have eyes or ears, you imbecile." Siegfried growled out. "So stop wasting time, AND SEARCH THE DAMN MANOR BEFORE I TURN THE TWO OF YOU INTO MY NIECE'S BIRTHDAY PRESENT!"

The prospect of the two [Lizardmen] being turned into a trenchcoat and a handbag (respectively) motivates them to start searching the ruined manor.

The [Claw Hero] then takes out a smoking pipe and [Change Claw] his [Legendary Claw] into the [Salamander Claw] to light his pipe for recreation.

"Idiots, all of them..." Siegfried muttered out. "... But blithering as they may be, at least I can trust the two with my life-"

*BOOM*

The whole manor lights on fire as the two [Lizardmen] come crawling out covered in flames.

"... On second thought, I might have to discipline them later on."

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

"I hope my [Blaze Mine] worked..." I muttered to myself.

Through the forest, me, Genbu, Rino, Khronos, and Malva were riding on top of Baraka's back, while Garou, Fubuki, Atlas, and Fohl were on Iliad's back, riding through the thicket and greens.

"So..." I asked out. "... How are the accommodations!?"

"This a first time that I got to ride on a monster's back, I tell you!" Khronos cried out. "I used to slay monsters, not ride them!"

"Got everything you need!?" I asked everyone. "If not, then it's pretty much gone up to flames!"

"I have my [Rune Gauntlets] and my dear Malva, so I'll be fine for a while!" Khronos shouted out.

"I have my [Silver Gauntlets] and Atlas with me, so I'll be fine!" Fohl cried out from Iliad's back.

Like father like son...

"How about the loot!?" I asked.

**"Not a single gold coin was missed." **Grimm stated proudly.

"Rockstar!" I praised. "So from my observations, I'm assuming that every major political party are led by a [Hero]!?"

"Yes!" Khronos cried out. "The Hakuko were once led by the [Gauntlet Hero], or at least used to. The Aotatsu are led by the [Claw Hero], that bastard Siegfried. The Genmu are led by the [Hammer Hero], by their first female representative, Pallas. And the Shusaku are led by the [Mirror Hero], but now the [Legendary Gauntlets] are now in their possession, by that snide Q'ten Lo bastard Fenglong..."

Odd, for there seems to be a lack of a [Staff Hero] despite their [Cleric]-based [Heroes].

Should I ask? Or should I ask later?

Before I can think of an answer, I then spot a familiar-looking circus tent.

I signal Iliad and Baraka to stop.

"Why are we stopping?" Malva asked.

"... Longshot, but that's a slaver's tent, as in, human slaves?" I asked.

"... Yes." She replied with great hesitation. "... Please tell me you don't plan on buying them."

"Look lady." I stated. "Those two twins over there? They're slaves, but I don't consider them as such. I consider them my siblings-in-arms as the rest of my party, so please do not take it as me practicing such crimes."

I then spot a wild level 41 [Werepanther] and [Replicate] its general appearance.

**"I'm simply buying them to join my cause."** I stated in my [Werepanther] form.** "They're only slaves in name."**

I then hide Grimm beneath a spare [Shadow Cloak] that I put on my new disguise.

**"Oh Rino, here."**

I then promote her to [Assassin] with my [Portable Dragon's Hourglass].

**"Keep them safe."**

She nods as me and Grimm head towards the Circus Tent of Joy and Wonders (sarcasm).

Why? You may ask. Why am I heading to a human slave shop despite the prospect of owning my own kind?

One, like I said, I refuse to practice double standard.

Two, my [Fated Encounter] is going crazy, as if its telling me to head there.

I would ignoring, seeing our current circumstances, but you know what?

I need more allies.

So into the circus tent of joy and wonder (sarcasm) I go.

Upon entry, I was greeted by a Moleman attending a podium.

"Walk-in entry?" He asked.

**"I got the money."** I showed him the bag.

He then rips out a ticket.

"You're in seat #095." He directed. "Get a move on, the auction is about to start."

I then take a seat next to a bunch of greasy-looking demi-human nobles (with one of them looking like Napoleon from Animal Farm, clothes and all), and I try _not_ to fly into rage.

It's all the same around here, I tell you. And I am having a hard time trying not to vomit.

"Rough day, junior?" The Napoleon-lookalike asked me.

**"Sorry."** I stated.** "Just had bad memories of being some human bastard's slave..."**

"... How did you survive?" The Pigman noble asked with utmost curiosity.

**"Managed to threaten my master while working through the agony of the [Slave Brand], threatened his kid in front of him, he released the seal, and ate his whole family afterwards."** I forged my [Werepanther] background.** "It was a crazy plan, but it worked."**

"Oh ho ho ho!" The nobleman chuckled out. "Your bravery and audacity are quite something to behold! So tell me boy, what is your name?"

**"... Jet." **

"Oh ho ho ho!" The Pigman chuckled. "I sure would like you to handle my slaves in my estate!"

**"No thank you."** I politely rejected.** "After years in bondage, I think I prefer to strike out on my own, starting here."**

"Well, best of luck then!" The Pigman noble stated. "Because I heard that they have a person from another world in stock!"

Jackpot, that was what my [Fated Encounter] was picking up on.

"Ready?" He chuckled out as the auctioneer stepped up into the stage.

**"I'll try to impress you... em..."**

"Baron Nervile Palestine." The Baron stated. "But please, call me Nervile, Baron is optional."

**"May the most audacious be fourtunate, Baron Nervile."**

With the bang of a gavel, the auction begins.

I carefully observe the "merchandise" being presented, as the curtain was raised, revealing humans, all of them, dressed in rags, behind bars, and all of them, young, malnourished, and their eyes, completely lifeless.

"[Fated Encounter], active." My HUD then points towards a teenage girl.

... Who looks distinctly _Asian_.

So after the two other boys were sold away to a snake demi-human noblewoman, the girl was up next.

Then came the bidding, starting at 12,000.

"15,000!"

"17,000!"

"24,000!"

"29,000!"

"34,000!"

Then bidding came to a halt, in which then, I made my move.

**"50,000."**

The whole hall goes silent.

Going once...

Going twice...

... Sold-

"75,000."

Next to me, Nervile places his bid.

... He's playing dirty, to see if I what it takes to be a cutthroat like him.

... Then game on.

**"95,000."**

"120,000."

**"150,000."**

"200,000."

**"350,000."**

We both stop after my bid (which is taking up about a third of my stockpile).

The gavel bangs, and the girl is then handed to me.

We both head to the back of th tent, where the branding took place.

"Your blood." A [Weretiger] stated.

One prick, and I look away from the painful process, right before she is then handed over to me.

"Don't break her too quickly, ya hear?" The [Weretiger] stated. "She's one-of-a-kind."

We both leave the tent in hurry, and run into a blue-haired and scaled young nobleman.

We both walk past each other, with Grimm responding to this surprisingly eerie presence.

**"Come on."** I snarled out as I took her by her arm.

We both then eventually make it back into the thicks, and find our companions hiding inside the shadows.

I motion everyone to move ahead a little deeper into the forest, until we are completely surrounded by thickets of trees and grass.

**"Alright everyone, take five."**

I remove my disguise as the rest of my party comes out of the shadows.

The Asian girl then looks at us with extreme confusion.

"... Sorry about that." I stated. "As much as we need to talk, we need to move, now."

I re[Summon] Baraka and Iliad and we make our way back to the Melromarc/Siltvelt Border.

But first...

"[Wild Groves], added to [Teleport-Beacon]."

Then, we move out.

"So..." I talked to the girl. "... What's your name?"

"... Why..."

I look at her face, riddled with tears and the lack of life.

"... Why did you save me?" She asked.

"... Can't say really." I responded. "Perhaps it was fate, or the fact that I've now gone officially insane after spending too much time in this hellhole. I dunno, am I going crazy, or do I have the right to be crazy!?" I ranted.

The girl was now practically trembling.

"... Sorry." I sighed out. "Rough day. Want to rest, but as soon as we even stop, we're going to get set upon by the people who are hunting these family down in an instant, so all we can do, is keep moving, understood?"

She nods.

"Then you better hold on tight." I stated. "It's gonna get bumpy from here on!"

Iliad and Baraka pick up speed, trees and wilderness speeding past our eyes.

Eventually, we both break from the forest and out into a clearing.

... With Melromarc [Royal Guards] waiting for us at spearpoint.

"... Oh shit." I spoke out. "By any chance, are you men affiliated with the Queen of Melromarc?"

No guard answers.

Let's see, calm posture, neutral expressions, steady forms, and unwavering resolve that cannot be described as suicidal...

"... Yep, you're all with her." I stated. "Look. We're not here to kill anyone, so can we just forget this all ever happened?"

"You're making demands despite your reputation." An authoritative female voice spoke out.

The army makes way for the baddest bitch in the room, people.

**Queen Mirelia Q. Melromarc**

**All hail to the motherf*cking Queen (One of the good guys, surprisingly enough)**

"Apologizes for my audacity, Queen Mirelia Q. Melromarc." I got off of Baraka and bowed down. "But I just have a really bad habit of running into situations that just keep taking a toll on my sanity."

She only raises an eyebrow upon my sheepish smile.

I sigh and rub my temples.

"Look, your majesty." I begged. "If you just give me and my company a time of the day, I will do my utmost best to tell you what's going on in the best of detail, including what's been going on at Siltvelt. Sound good?"

"... You better make it count, [Tome Fallen]." She stated in an intimidating tone. "For your reputation has painted you as an untrustworthy person."

"Hey, at least I know who I can trust." I stated. "And if that person can be trusted, I try not kill that person mainly because I'm no viper that addles the farmer."

"You know that you're not helping your case, correct?" She pointed out. "Especially after you purchased a human slave?"

"Please, do not refer her as a 'thing'." I snapped politely. "She's only a slave in name only."

"Then what is that girl to you? Along with your other slaves?" She asked.

"... Friends, family, students, siblings, people I'm willing to live and die for." I answered. "They're the only ones that keep me sane in this mad world of bigotry, classism, racism, stupidity, and general dickbaggery."

And then I notice that I've completely left out the Asian girl.

"... Permission to counsel with her?" I pointed to the Asian girl.

The Queen lets out a sigh behind her fan.

"Come with me, [Tome Fallen] and party."

We are all then escorted into the Queen's Border Camp, staffed by fresh-faced soldiers, all disciplined to the highest caliber, unlike the ones sprawling around the capital.

"You know." I stated. "It's honestly kinda refreshing to see disciplined soldiers after seeing the ones back at Melromarc."

"Were they really that bad?" The Queen asked.

"I'll get into the details later." I stated as me and my current company head into the meeting tent.

We all take a seat around the table, with me facing the Queen directly.

"So, [Tome Fallen]..." Queen Mirelia started. "... For starters, I must point out that over the past several months, you've caused roughly 1.5 billion gold's worth of property damage, killed over a thousand people, and correct me if I'm wrong, but did you actually made repeated attempts to kill the other [Heroes]!?"

"... The last part, I wasn't planning to kill them outright." I stated. "Only left them... _mostly_ dead."

She gives me a disapproving look.

"So what are your justifications leaving them 'mostly dead'?" She asked.

Alright, time to hit it where it really hurts."

"Okay, your majesty, can I be really blunt with the current state of the summoned [Heroes]?" I asked.

"Surprise me." She replied in a deadpan tone.

"Assuming from your personal [Shadow]s around every corner of the damned country, I'm assuming that you already know that Melromarc has summoned all [Four Cardinal Heroes] in an concentrated location, and presumably, without your permission, might I add?" I pointed out.

I then see a maid set down a goblet of red wine next to the Queen.

"Please." The Queen stated. "Tell me something that I don't know already."

She then takes a sip of wine.

"Would you like me to get into specifics on each of them?"

She nods after taking a sip.

"For starters, the least dire of the four is the [Shield Hero], Naofumi." I started. "Unrightly disenfranchisement aside, he's not doing too badly, although currently, he and Raphtalia are running around the country as common peddlers, trying to keep themselves afloat... after I might've crashed your kingdom's economy."

She then glares at me.

"... On the plus side, he now has a [Filoial Queen] with him, so that outta help him out in the long run." I pointed out the positive. "And above all else, he's not actively causing damage, although I doubt that the higher-ups in your circle will continue to discredit him despite everything..." I sighed out.

"You have no idea." She replied.

"Onto the [Bow Hero], Itsuki." I continued. "Last time I've seen him, I think I've seen him trying to lead a revolution up North, correct?" I asked.

She sighs as another bottle of wine is poured in by the maid.

"I'll take that as a yes." I stated. "So no one here needs to know that it's going to end horrifically, correct?"

Everyone nods.

"Alright then..." I sighed out. "... I might also have to point out that out of all the four, he's the most likely shoot me on first sight, so there's that little issue."

"I would solely blame you, [Tome Fallen], but circumstances regarding the whole geopolitical mess that is our current day, has been proven beyond our control." The Queen stated.

"Continuing onto the most problematic of four, the [Spear Hero], Motoyasu, the fucking gigolo." I sighed out. "Him being your elder daughter's pet bitch aside, the bastard tends to think with his dick more often than not, and you know what, I think I'll have the witness speak out on that regard."

I then turn to Rino.

"You mind telling the Queen everything?" I asked.

"... Yes." She answered.

I then let her onto my seat and she faces the Queen.

"Here's how it started..." Rino stated. "... I was one of the adventures that joined the [Spear Hero]'s party as a [Rouge]. For the next few weeks, I leveled up alongside with the rest of the party, but suddenly, I was drugged by Princess Malty and got driven out of the party for being the weakest member here, and lost my virginity..."

She then starts crying, in which, I wrap her around my arms.

"You can stop if you want." I stated. "No one's judging."

She nods and leaves the seat.

"... I take that you can figure out the rest through the use of pattern recognition?" I asked the Queen.

The goblet _shatters_ in her grip (despite being made of silver).

"Captain, remind me to sharpen a guillotine just for her." She snarled out.

I then spot frost forming in her hand, and decided to [Analyze] her.

**Name: ****Mirelia Q. Melromarc**

**Class: [Thaumaturge]**

**Level: 102**

**Affinity: [Ice]**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Equipment: [Divine Wand, Caduceus], [Celestial Vestments of Divine Protection], [Star Rune of Luck, Pleiades]**

**Attack: 99 (+50)**

**Defense: 107 (+150)**

**Agility: 91**

**Luck: 80 (+150)**

**HP: 980 (+150)**

**MP: 1,300 (+50)**

I know that she's absolutely terrifying when pressed, but upon witnessing it firsthand, I think I might've peed myself.

Everyone else, but Genbu, were frozen with fear.

And if she's this strong, but prefers to utilize diplomacy, then two thoughts come to mind:

A) She's a staunch pacifist that prefers to not fight out of principle.

B) She's a pragmatic pacifist since while she is strong, the other countries are even stronger than her.

Either possibility is terrifying on its own. All the more reason to get back to level-grinding like a madman.

"So..." I awkwardly continued on. "Can I talk about the [Sword Hero], Ren?"

"... Ren?" The Asian girl spoke out.

"... Longshot, but do you know this 'Ren'?" I asked. "You know, Japanese, slightly long black hair, looks like a stock light novel protag?"

"Y-YES!" She cried out. "I-I'm Rio Murasame! I'm Ren's girlfriend!"

"Can... Can you tell me more about you two?" I asked.

She then begins to tell me of her life story while I look inside her head with my [Geas: Mind Diver], and I'll just summarize the whole thing for the sake of convenience:

Rio and Ren first met at the [Kobold King] boss chamber, with her as the mysterious, badass protector, like Asuna, but the facade lasted longer.

Her favor is returned around Floor 13th boss, [Minotaur King] almost pwned her, but Ren saved her last minute.

Around Floor 42, they finally made a promise to meet up in the real world should they live.

Floor 75, after the [Skull Reaper] fight, they were allegedly part of the background when Heathcliff/Kayaba was giving his speech/rant.

And you know what's the weirdest part?

The world_ wasn't_ SAO.

I asked her the question about _who published_ SAO.

And one magic word, changed everything.

_Bethesda_.

... I kid you not, Ren and Rio, the [Sword Hero] and the isekaied slave girl, are from SAO _Abridged_.

So that's why abridged!Kirito was such a departure/improvement from the original source material.

_Ren_ took the mantle of the generic light novel protag status in Kirito's place!

But after that, things start to diverge.

Those two met up after two months in the hospital, went out on a date, Rio turned out to be really good lead guitar player at her school's light music club band, _Crossing Field_.

Those two were also the ones who managed to take the picture that was posted on Twitter, the same one that caused Jesus-kun to play Alfheim Online in the first place.

And after several months of dating, those two decided to try out Gun Gale Online.

... And became one of Death Gun's very first victims.

Even more fucked up?

... She got shanked _next_ to Ren's corpse.

And once she ended up in Siltvelt inlands, she go swept up by slavers and been living inside a cage and endless wails of suffering for _several months_.

In other words, the whole "Alternate Universe" schick has gone full-on _Infinity War_.

"That is super meta." I spoke out.

"Hmm?" Rio spoke out. "What do you mean, 'meta'?"

... Aw crapbaskets.

I just lit that dynamite, didn't I?

I then let out a sigh.

... Gotta bite the bullet and say it out loud and proud.

"... You might want to sit down." I said. "I mean, all of you."

Can't get much worse than this, now can it?

**One 4th-Wall Obliterating Speech Later...**

"To summarize, I come from a world where all of you, and your existence, are considered a mere work of _fiction_." I stated.

Everyone, the Queen, my party, the Hakukos, and Rio, were completely stunned.

"... So our existence is just a mere falsehood?" The Queen breathed out is disbelief.

"... Not quite." I elaborated. "Yes, you do technically exist, but in my world, you're just a player within an established narrative, moving the plot forward for the [Shield Hero], who's the real 'protagonist' of the established story."

**"But that's only your world's laws, isn't it?"** Grimm asked. **"I mean, I slightly remember that the [Heroes] are usually summoned from another world, but your influence alone already causing changes to the natural flow of this reality..."**

"Then what are you?" Khronos asked. "Just who are you?"

... That one question.

That was the question that I have been waiting, for someone to ask me, after all this time.

"... My guess?" I answered. "Someone who came here as the 'protagonist', who must face the 'antagonist' known as this narrative itself."

"... So from what I'm picking up, you're really here to wrestle control from this 'story', but to what end?" The Queen pointed out.

"Your guess is good as mine, your majesty." I replied. "All I'm doing is what my gut tells me; eliminate every single bigoted ingrate walking on this land, and make this world a better place."

I then face everyone else.

"But for now?" I continued. "All I can do is make sure I stay alive long enough for you to help me make this world a better place."

"And just what will destroying everything will accomplish?" The Queen asked.

"First step of a proper revolution?" I spoke out.

I then show her the [Projection Orb], showing her the state of Melromarc at great unrest, with their people protesting at the rebuilt royal palace.

"... Make the people question their place." I answered. "Your husband, as far as we both surmised up to now, has proven himself to be a rather poor ruler, especially when he seems to prioritize on discrediting the [Shield Hero] as much as possible, all for the sake of sating his grudge against Siltvelt. Oh wait, we have direct witnesses."

I then point the Queen towards Khronos and his family, all of them livid, with Malva looking extremely _devastated_.

**"... How dare he."** Khronos snarled out.

The two kids were also equally livid, with Fohl himself on the verge of going on a rampage.

"So tell me, your majesty." I spoke. "Why do you think he summoned the [Shield Hero] when the [Heroes] themselves were supposed to be summoned at separate locations?"

"And you know this detail from you reading ahead of this world's narrative?" The Queen pointed out. "... Honesty, Melromarc was only supposed to summon the [Spear Hero], with Faubey summoning the [Bow Hero], Shieldfreeden summoning the [Sword Hero], and Siltvelt summoning the [Shield Hero]."

"That... explains a lot." I voiced out. "But what I don't get is, how? How the hell did he even managed to steal away the four summoning relics in the first place!?"

"The truth is, the [Legendary Weapons] are kept in an ancient shrine, with all four countries agreeing to come together when the time of great calamity is at the horizon." She pointed out. "But when all four of them were gone, I was sent to apologize to the other nations on my country's behalf, but to think that my husband would plan this far just to undermine me..."

Suddenly, a disturbing thought hit my head.

The summoning monopolizing, the [Shield Hero]'s ostracization, the clashing ploying between the King, the eldest Princess, and the Church of the Three Heroes, it was all making sense now.

"Your majesty." I spoke out abruptly.

"What is it now?" She groaned out.

"... I need a sheet of paper." I requested. "Because call me crazy..."

A sheet of paper and a pen with an ink bottle was placed before me.

"... But I think I finally solved this little conspiracy."

I then begin penning down the whole web of lies in print as everyone around me began to look at my paper.

Okay, here's basically King Aultcray's plan.

**1) Summon all [Four Cardinal Heroes] as a PR stunt to show the other nations that "Hey I have [Heroes] and you don't, so ha" as a show of power, buying him time and room via sending the Queen away on three diplomatic missions to clean up this "mess".**

**2) While the other nations were distracted by this controversy, start screwing over the [Shield Hero] in hopes of driving him into the depths of despair and toss him into obscurity.**

**3) After weakening said [Shield Hero] enough, assassinate him and present his corpse to Siltvelt, with the ensuing chaos resulting the Queen killed during the riot in her diplomatic mission in Siltvelt.**

**4) Post-fallout, declare war against Siltvelt on the charge of murdering the Queen and the latter nation provoked of having the [Shield Hero] defiled, with the now-[Three Heroes] at the helm, win the war, take over Siltvelt, and take their [Legendary Weapons], and start amassing power.**

**5) Take over the whole continent.**

Everybody got that!?

"Reason why it failed?" I pointed out. "... Aultcray was dumb enough to get _me_ involved. And even if he didn't? [Shield Hero]'s physical and spiritual integrity is not to be underestimated, and yet he did, anyway."

**"So your bastard of a husband wasn't satisfied with just humiliating us."** Khronos bit out.

"To be fair, you did kidnap Malva, so his grievances aren't unfounded, but I agree, he needs to die." I pointed out.

"Never in my life, I'd thought that the Queen of Melromarc was my distant aunt..." Fohl facepalmed. "And that our uncle hates the [Shield Hero] more than the plague..."

"I will rip both of his eyes out with my bare hands. Is alright with you, dear aunt?" Atlas asked the Queen in a _disturbingly calm_ tone.

"And Ren is on his side!?" Rio gasped out in horror.

"... Eh, not really." I pointed out. "I managed to make him turn him away from that side... not without kicking a out a few of his teeth and scarring him for life."

"... At any rate, I'm glad that he's okay." Rio tearfully sighed out.

"So you sayin' that the king himself thought up all of this?" Garou pointed out.

"My brother was brilliant of mind, but now he's fallen of soul..." Malva bemoaned.

"True, but the real driver of this convoluted ploy happens to the eldest daughter." I pointed out. "I mean, you, of all people, know Malty the best, right?" I spoke to the Queen.

"I disinherited her for a reason, but I'm starting to think that I should've put her head on the chopping block instead." The Queen stated.

"... Where's Melty?" I asked.

"I sent her back to Melromarc to clear up this chaos on a domestic front, but upon hearing what you have to say..."

The Queen's face then turned that into horror.

"Before you freak out, your highness." I stated. "I assure you, she'll be fine."

"How!?" She cried out in slight panic. "I just unknowingly sent my daughter to her death!"

"Three factors." I pointed out. "One, your husband isn't planning to murder her, but rather, Malty is going to be the one to draw out the knife, in which, she's more likely to trip over and stab herself. Two, she's smart enough to seek out the [Shield Hero] for help, and she has a good judge of character."

"... True." She stated.

"And three..." I continued. "You have my utmost trust to make sure that I don't get her killed, and that all of her potential assailants will be delivered back to their kin in pieces."

She then looks at me with slight concern.

"And are you sure that my daughter will be kept out of harm's way, should it come to be?" The Queen asked.

"Cross my heart, and hope not to die a slow and painful death." I promised.

She then takes my hand and shakes on it.

"I'm counting on you, [Tome Hero]."

"Aw geez..." I bashfully grinned. "... You do realize that I'm no [Hero], right?"

"Then what do you consider yourself as, Mr. Nan Hon-Jah?"

I then turn around as me and my company head out of the tent.

"... Just a badass." I replied.

And like badasses, we went out of the tent with unrivaled swagger.

... One problem.

"Where are we, anyway?" I asked the Queen.

"We're by the Shieldfreeden/Melromarc Borders." Queen Mirelia stated. "I was just about to head into the Shieldfreeden lands after getting back from Faubey."

"... Can you show me the map?" I requested.

She then hands me a [World Map], and from first impressions alone, I was baffled.

"... Where are we on the map?" I asked.

Malva then points to the utmost left-center on the map.

"And how long will it take for us to get back to Melromarc lands?"

"About a week on carriage." The Queen stated.

I then look at my [Portable Dragon's Hourglass].

**Time Remaining Before [Wave] Starts:**

**6 Days**

**5 Hours**

**54 Minutes**

**36 Seconds**

"... At least this thing can [Teleport-Epicenter] during the [Wave]." I stated. "So until then, I guess we're gonna all have to level grind our way back to base camp."

"Just what do you mean, [Tome Fallen-I mean, Mr. Hon-Jah?"

"Please." I stated as I added the Hakuko family and Rio into my party. "Just call me Nan."

After that, we parted ways, with a promise forged between us.

I'll tell her more I know about later, but until then, I'll make good on my word.

... You know, this meeting went really well, all things considered.

Why, you may ask?

Because the Queen herself was now wrapped around my little finger, as long as I bring up her second daughter.

Her sole _weakness_.

**"What's with the smile, kiddo?" **Grimm asked me while we were riding on Baraka.

"... Today's a good day." I quoted the Soldier.

We have a week to grind, so I guess another _kill & grill_ is in order.

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Whoa, what a whopper of an Epic.

Had a run-in with Melromarc's sole Sky Pirate, met up with the dying Hakuko family and the Aotatsu faction that were supposed to purge them, Ren's girlfriend being introduced, and forging an alliance with the Queen herself?

A buffet, like anything else on God's green Earth, must be devoured with utmost gusto.

Also, [Affixes]:

**[Overheating]: **Greatly lowers Defense and HP in exchange for adding a [Fire] attribute and a raise in Attack stat.

**[Steady]: **Slightly lower Defense and Speed in exchange for a slight raise in Attack and Luck.

* * *

_**Stat Updates (Current Party):**_

* * *

**Name: [Hero Hunter] [Nan Hon-Jah]**

**Class: [Tome Fallen]**

**Level: 43**

**Affinites: [All Eight Elements]**

**Alignment: Neutral Evil**

**Equipment: [Forbidden Tome, Grimm the Heretic], [Enigmatic Trickster's Garbs], [Visage of Laughter], [Mystical Jester's Cap], [Songbell Shoes], [Wight's Rune of Spite], [Silver Wolf's Maw], [Geas: Mind Diver], [Portable Dragon's Hourglass]**

**Attack: 56 (+85)**

**Defense: 53 (+20)**

**Agility: 51 (+45)**

**Luck: 48 (+55)**

**HP: 480 (+85)**

**MP: 580 (+175)**

* * *

**Name: [Rino]**

**Class: [Slave Assassin]**

**Level: 40**

**Affinites: [Earth]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Steel Bow], [Shadow Dagger], [Assassin's Cloak], [Shadow Mufflers], [Silent Step Sandals]**

**Attack: 38 (+20)**

**Defense: 21 (+5)**

**Agility: 52 (+35)**

**Luck: 53 (+15)**

**HP: 260 (+20)**

**MP: 200 (+20)**

* * *

**Name: [Garou]**

**Class: [Slave Brawler]**

**Level: 45**

**Affinites: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Assassin's Leather Armor], [Nightshroud], [Blade Gauntlets], [Primal Claws], [Katars]**

**Attack: 57 (+50)**

**Defense: 43 (-20)**

**Agility: 52 (+65)**

**Luck: 39 (+20)**

**HP: 500 (+20)**

**MP: 200 (-100)**

* * *

**Name: [Fubuki]**

**Class: [Slave Monk]**

**Level: 44**

**Affinites: [Ice]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Twilight Gunstaff], [Darkbane Gauntlets], [Twilight Cloak], [Twilight Hunter's Hood], [Mana Medallion]**

**Attack: 51 (+45)**

**Defense: 39 (+30)**

**Agility: 48 (+25)**

**Luck: 41 (+20)**

**HP: 360 (-50)**

**MP: 595 (+100)**

* * *

**Name: [Genbu]**

**Class: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Affinites: None**

**Alignment: ?**

**Equipment: [Wayward Nomad's Garbs], [Silver Pocket Watch & Chain], [Silver Sword], [Fafnir's Flametongue]**

**Attack: ?**

**Defense: ?**

**Agility: ?**

**Luck: 9,999**

**HP: ?**

**MP: ?**

* * *

**Name: [Khronos Gaia Hakuko]**

**Class: [Vanguard]**

**Level: 72**

**Affinites: [Light]**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Equipment: [Rune Gauntlets], [Brave Chainmail], [Rune Eyeglasses]**

**Attack: 72 (+30)**

**Defense: 72 (+15)**

**Agility: 67 (+15)**

**Luck: 50**

**HP: 600 (+100)**

**MP: 150 (+100)**

* * *

**Name: [Malva Gaia Hakuko nee Melromarc]**

**Class: [Elementalist]**

**Level: 41**

**Affinites: [Fire], [Water], [Wind], & [Earth]**

**Alignment: True Neutral**

**Equipment: [Silver Wand], [Rune Fan], [Satin Garbs]**

**Attack: 41 (-20)**

**Defense: 32**

**Agility: 29**

**Luck: 50 (+50)**

**HP: 320 (+50)**

**MP: 500 (+150)**

* * *

**Name: [Fohl Hakuko]**

**Class: [Cleric]**

**Level: 30**

**Affinites: None **

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Silver Gauntlets], [Steel Bracer Platings]**

**Attack: 42 (+20)**

**Defense: 36 (+20)**

**Agility: 39 (-10)**

**Luck: 13**

**HP: 400 (+50)**

**MP: 100**

* * *

**Name: [Atlas Hakuko]**

**Class: [Cleric]**

**Level: 1**

**Affinites: [Light]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Mark of Divine Protection, Tzaphkiel], [Divine Rune of Judgement, Gabriel], [Mark of Cursed Bane, Belphegor]**

**Attack: 2 (+150)**

**Defense: 2 (+150)**

**Agility: 4 (+40)**

**Luck: 0 (-50)**

**HP: 20 (+1,000)**

**MP: 100 (+1,000)**

* * *

**Name: [Rio Murasame]**

**Class: [Slave Fighter]**

**Level: 5**

**Affinites: [Water]**

**Alignment: True Neutral**

**Equipment: [Silver Shortsword], [Silver Buckler]**

**Attack: 10 (+75)**

**Defense: 6 (+25)**

**Agility: 7**

**Luck: 2**

**HP: 120**

**MP: 60**

* * *

So how is this Epic?

When will Ren and Rio reunite? And if so, how badly it will end up?

Leave a comment or a review, for I'd love to know what my audience are thinking.


	17. Epic 17: The Menace Part 1

**_Continuing self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_Waiting for Season 2..._**

**_Finger Count: 5/10_**

**_Eye Count: 2/2_**

**_Sanity Meter: 68%_**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

_**Epic 17: The Menace Part 1**_

* * *

A lot happened for the next five days.

Recruited a [Harpy] (Appi), a [Direwolf] (Keaton), and a [Weretiger] (Bengal), Fohl and Rio [Class Promoted] into a [Warden] and a [Swordmaster] respectively, found and repaired a [Chokutō] from a passing by caravan blacksmith (nice people, even shared few shots of barley tea), a [Sword] & [Katana] [Hybrid Weapon] off of a dead body near a [Dungeon]'s entrance, and around a day later...

... I'm glad that I _also_ found an extra goatskin pouch of water off of that dead body.

Because as of now, we're in a [Dungeon] called [The Hell's Ingle], and we're kind of at the [Boss Encounter].

... I'll let Rio put it into words.

"WHY ARE WE EVEN FIGHTING THIS GIANT _FUCKING_ GOAT DEMON!?" Rio screeched out the out-of-nowhere SAO Abridged's reworked line form Episode 8.

**Name: [Ifrit****]**

**Class: [Boss Encounter]**

**Level: 59**

**Affinity: [Fire]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Evil**

**Item Drops: [Demonic Rune of Bloodlust] (50%), [Firebrand] (40%), [Ashbrand] (40%), [Inferno Hammer] (20%), [Devil's Kiss] (5%), [Ifrit Hooveshoes] (2%)**

**Attack: 73**

**Defense: 35**

**Agility: 78**

**Luck: 46**

**HP: 700**

**MP: 700**

The said [Ifrit] was fast, powerful, but had the durability of a wet noodle.

Really doesn't matter when it can move fast as lightning and regenerate its own HP by eating its own flames, so my [Full Coating] strategy is pretty much useless.

[Ice] and [Water], however, did wonders, so the strategy pretty much boiled down to "protect Fubuki and go ham on it when it slows down".

... Kinda hard to do that when it can just pelt us with not only [Fire] elemental projectiles (learned [Hellfire Grenade] and [Blazing Geyser] out of it), but you know those [Item Drops] that it's listed on its stat sheet?

We're kinda in a middle of a live-fire demonstration, with us as the targets. I.e., the [Devil's Kiss] was literally a double-barreled [Musket]-SHOTGUN that shoots both [Fire] & [Dark] projectiles, but also its other weapons found held in his _four_ arms and _hooves_.

[Firebrand] and [Ashbrand] were both [Sword] & [Wand] [Hybrid Weapons] that allows [Ifrit] to deal extra damage when using [Fire] attacks/EVERY _DAMN_ TIME, and grants it passive healing and MP regeneration if it keeps using [Fire] skills, _RESPECTIVELY_.

The [Inferno Hammer] was a [Fire] & [Earth] [Hammer] & [Musket] [Hybrid Weapon] that guarantees CRITICAL HITS for every [Fire] attack executed, with the additional chance to inflict [Stun] (got that twice, Garou and Fohl saved my ass both times).

And weirdest of all, the [Ifrit Hooveshoes], leaves passive patches of [Fire] on where it sets its hooves upon, with the additional possibility of said [Fire] patch might leave a [Magma Mine] instead (Also learned that skill, gone barefoot once more in return).

Simply put?

Insane stats, insane coverage, insane weaponry, and the arena was also insane in terms of aesthetics (part-Arabian, part Freddy Kruger's Wet Dream).

So how are we even alive, I do not care.

**I want that shotgun.**

**One Ass-Kicking Later...**

Checklist.

Recruited [Salamander], named Flambe, [Lampad] (fire fairy from Greek mythology), named Beatrice, a feral (according to Khronos, a wild beastkin that is more akin to an animal then a civilized being) [Red Lizardman Swordmaster], named Dante, and the [Boss Encounter] itself, [Ifrit], named Rubicante.

Items: [Salamander Scales x50], [Salamander Claws], [Advanced Magic Ore x25], [Blazing Rune x3], [Spark Dagger], [Devil's Kiss], [Demonic Rune of Bloodlust], and [Ifrit Hooveshoes] (oddly classified as [Gauntlet] & [Musket] [Hybrid Weapon]).

[Firebrand] and [Ashbrand] were subsequently eaten by Rubicante during his boss fight to restore its HP and MP back in full capacity upon_ finally_ hitting red in its health bar (in hindsight, dumbest desperation move, EVER).

End result?

Aside from several first-degree burns all over us? No limbs and lives were lost, and I managed to get the [Devil's Kiss] shotgun.

Gifting that to Wyndia,_ fosho_.

I then place my [Portable Dragon's Hourglass] on the boss room's floor, and with that, my party are clear to leave the [Dungeon].

"Let's GTFO this hellhole before we get a heatstroke." I muttered.

"Nan?" Fohl asked. "... What's GTFO?"

"It means 'Get The Fuck Out'-"

Rio's words were cut off as we all teleported out of the volcanic depths.

**One [Teleport] later...**

"OXYGEN!" I cried out into the night sky in relief.

"... You suck Nan." Rio heaved out.

"In my defense..." I argued. "... We really need to speed-level until the next [Wave] happens."

**"Never again, dude."** Grimm stated.** "Too spicy for me."**

The majority of the Hakuko family then vomit on the grass.

"... I really don't like the smell of ash." Khronos stated.

"Brother... I'm burning up..." Atlas moaned out.

"Fubuki, help the two out." I ordered.

She then uses her [Frost Trap] to put them under a dome of ice to cool themselves down.

"... So you said that my nieces are at history's most brutal sibling rivalry, correct?" Malva stated.

"I would point out the whole [Fire] and [Water] juxtaposition between them, but at this point, you really gotta see it for yourself to know what's going on." I pointed out.

"Is it that bad?" She replied.

"I'm sugarcoating it, yes." I bluntly stated. "And no, I won't give details until you see it for yourself. It's gotta be seen to be believin."

Garou then shakes whole body to thrash the ash off of his skin.

"... Where are we again?" I asked.

"We're by the [Melromarc/Shieldfreeden Borders]." Khronos stated while looking at the map that the Queen gave us. "... To think we're a hair's breadth away from setting foot into the demi-human's equivalent of hell on earth."

"Oi, I was resurrected in a human's equivalent of hell on earth." Rio pointed out. "And I lived in a cage."

"Alright, you two, just stop." I cut in before things got ugly. "We've been through the literal bowels of hell about a few hours prior, so in order to avoid the pain in the ass customs..."

I then take out my [Portable Dragon's Hourglass].

"... I hereby declare this kill & grill to be, over."

We then [Teleport] out of the [Melromarc/Shieldfreeden Borders].

**One [Teleport] later...**

My new party members end up in the halls of the [Archive] now feeling a bit more cluttered with more people around.

"Gotta do something first..."

I then place my [Portable Dragon's Hourglass] on the Nexus's console.

**"[Furnace] and [Demonic Ritual Grounds], added to [Archive]."** My HUD stated.

"DARLING!"

Something tackle-hugs me down to the ground.

I then look at the person who's on top of me.

A human female with rose-pink hair going all the way down the her thighs, her skin was a perfect peach tone, her eyes were that of bright jade, and facial features, small, rosy lips, smooth, porcelain doll-like face, and its overall beauty is making my pants really tight.

"Let me guess..." I stated. "... Strelitzia?"

She then puff her cheeks.

"You ruined the surprise!" She whined as she drummed my chest. "Act surprised, darling!"

I then see my other party members look at me awkwardly.

"Right right right..." I droned out.

I then kiss her in the lips to shut her up.

"... Better?"

The bud on top of her head blossoms into a red rose, the same kind of red blush on her cheeks.

She nods.

"Now please get off of me." I begged. "I kinda smell like an ashtray, and I have to show the others around their new home."

"Yes darling!"

Strelitzia then walks away from me, with me now just noticing that she now has legs.

Covered in bark just like Grade A zettai ryouiki, and a slowly developing a legman fetish.

... If I do end up like Kimihito from MonMusu, then I will not regret it.

"... Apologies for the little... incursion." I stated.

I then look back at my new party members, with Hakuko family and Rio looking at me with scrutiny.

"... Your mind never ceases to confuse me, Nan." Atlas stated.

"Showers are over there." I pointed towards my left. "Fresh clothes will be provided, and Garou and Fubuki will show you the ropes on what goes around here."

Then they all leave.

I then take off my hood and find Byakko.

"Welcome back, master Nan." The butler stated. "How was your vacation?"

"Remind me how to read a goddamn map." I droned out.

Did you know that I suck at reading maps? To the point that even using Google Maps & Navigations actually made it _worse_?

"... First of all." The butler stated. "Congratulations on clearing [The Hell's Ingle], for now we've gained access to the [Furnace], an [Equipment] refinery, and the [Demonic Ritual Grounds], which allows you to call upon any [Dark]-affinity [Encounter] to forge a contract with, at the cost of a sacrifice, which is random every day."

So the smithery and a [Dark]-affinity gacha. I'll bite.

"Second." Byakko went on. "As of you've seen with Strelitzia, the past five days of your... absence, has been, shall we say... eventful."

"... So I wasn't seeing things." I muttered.

"I believe it's best if you see it for yourself."

The butler then leads to the elevator where the [Abandoned Research Facility] was at.

And with just the two of us, the elevator was significantly roomy.

"... Please tell me that my [Summons] ate the refugees." I mumbled.

"We would do no such thing." The butler stated. "For everyone's been on their best behavior."

The doors open, with the two of us at Doppio's old boss room.

"Master Nan..." Byakko stated. "... Try not to get too surprised."

The stone door slides open, letting out a massive gleam of light.

Once the light stops glaring, I then see the following;

The refugees went from helpless lambs of women to an organized militia of armed resistance members, three more [Perfected Homunculus] were present, there were new-looking bouncing spheres, with one composed of bladed rings that formed a sphere, the other looked familiar to Eight, but with the addition of black dots inside of its green pusies dotted all over its purple skin, Doppio itself was now wearing a [Steel Helmet], Seiryu and Suzaku were acting the little adorable siblings that they are, and Wyndia was still with Gaelion, currently in his [Wyvern Emperor] form to fit in this confined space.

"MASTER NAN!"

Suzaku, Seiryu, and Wyndia all tackle-hug me down.

"Hey there..." I groaned out. "... How were the past five days?"

I then saw Strelitzia walking towards me, with a mumpy expression on her human-like face.

"Darling, I want more hugs!" She whined.

"Come here." I opened my sole right, four-fingered arm.

We all share a hug right before we settle down and share our stories.

For one, it turns out that the Melromarcian [Royal Guards] were dumber than we thought, thinking that burning down the forest would do anything.

Especially if said forest was guarded by an [Alraune], who then proceeded to turn their flesh into mulch for the maggots and worms, and around day two killing off unsuspecting mooks, she evolved into a [Dryad], which means that the entire groves surrounding the [Abandoned Research Facility] was now her domain, allowing her to command all flora within the woods as if it was an entire part of her, flora regeneration included.

After said evolutions, she decided to help out the other [Summons] on [Evolving].

Day 3, Cue and Eight [Evolve] into [Blade Balloons] and [Plague Balloons], with Cue now having a wider spread with its [Scatter Mine], and a passive called [Bloodletter], which increases damage from his [Bleeding] status that it inflicts with its attacks, and Eight now gets its [Noxious Gas] replaced with [Lethal Gas], which is like [Noxious Gas], with the additional 10% chance to inflict [Instant Death], so, it's basically an on-hand _nerve gas_.

Day 4 and 5? The three [Failed Homunculus Types A, B, & C] evolved into bonafide [Perfected Homuncluses], with Alpha and Beta being female in appearance (maid outfits and weapons included, Alpha's packing a [Death Scythe] as a [Fighter], while Beta is a [Mage] with the [Thunder Coil Mace]), and Chi being like Byakko in appearance, but with his snow-white hair slicked back permanently, giving him a more rugged look (butler outfit foregoes the suit jacket for a suit vest, a [Rouge] packing heat with [Swartz-Drache Custom] and [Weißer-Ritter Custom], dual pistol [Muskets] that run on the user's MP, and each muzzle firing at the lethality of an _anti-material rifle_).

Downside, Gaelion didn't get to [Evolve] into a [Bahamut Emperor], but methinks that we have a long way to go before we get there.

And oh, Byakko, Seiryu, Suzaku, and Wyndia are now all capped at level 40.

"Time for [Class Promotion]!"

Byakko goes from a [Cleric] to [Hermit], keeping his [Dagger] mastery and his healing magic now being more potent, and from the vault, he received the [Cleric's Cane], a [Wand] and [Staff] [Hybrid Weapon] that increases healing magic's effectiveness and deals extra damage to [Undeads] when using healing magic towards them.

Seiryu goes from a [Fighter] to [Spell Fencer], a mixed physical and magical fighter, now wielding a [Rune Slayer], a [Sword] and [Mace] [Hybrid Weapon] which is basically Raphtalia's [Mana Sword] but in the size of Cloud's [Buster Sword], but unlike the [Mana Sword], the [Rune Slayer] was a full-blown lightsaber/can hack through any tangible object. However, the [Rune Slayer] can only be in its lightsaber form as long as the user has MP to spare/Seiryu barely has over 150, i.e., not enough to last over a minute, but it's sheathed form is basically a rectangular prism on a stick, and Seiryu herself can punch through plate armor without issue (from what she told me), so no issues here.

Suzaku goes from a [Rogue] to an [Adventurer], now equipping a [Heat Nail] (forged from [Ifrit's Hooveshoes] and leftover [Spider Silk]), a [Whip] and [Dagger] [Hybrid Weapon] resembling Scorpion's Rope Dart, but he insists that he only uses the weapon as a tool, for he prefers to kill things bare-handed.

Wyndia goes from a [Fighter] to a [Predator], a [Deviant Class] that uses [Spears] and [Muskets], and Byakko, being some kind of butler marty stu, addressed the problem of Wyndia being unable to equip the [Devil's Kiss] without [Burning]/[Cursing] herself by simply taking the gun into the [Furnace] with a few [Gale Ores] that I got from wild [Rocs]. Now, she's a badass wielding a [Dragoon's Javelin] and the reforged [Bulletstorm], a triple-barreled shotgun with a break-action-style reloading with a sawed-off barrel, but ammo however, was scarce, since I could only spare one [Advanced Magic Ore] and the rest of the [Lesser And Greater Gunpowder] to make [Slug Shells x9], so ammo is going have be used sparingly.

That, or find/make gunpowder on my own.

Total badasses either way.

Speaking of the [Advanced Magic Ores]...

"Alpha." I asked the [Homunculus] maid.

"Yes master?" She spoke in Tara Platt's voice.

"Longshot, but you know how to make [Effigies], correct?" I asked.

"Indeed." She replied. "Post-[Evolution], head butler Byakko has filled in on all of information regarding the [Archive]'s contents and informations, all to serve you at peak performance, master."

... Damn, he works fast.

"Then I want you to make one [Effigy]." I ordered. "Just for a test run on how it works and all."

"Understood." Alpha then dashes back towards the [Archive]'s elevators.

"Beta, Chi, can you two keep an eye on the refugees?" I asked. "Just in case if some [Thugs] are dumb enough to come into this forest again."

"Understood." The two then head outside with Dante and Beatrice serving as backup.

"Now then..." I stated while looking at the armed refugees. "... You ladies doing fine?"

They all nod with the occasional "yes" thrown in.

"Alright then, listen up." I spoke out. "In about roughly 10-12 hours later, another [Wave] will strike down upon this world. The past five days were mere practice runs. If you can kill a rapist soldier, then you can kill a [Werepanther]. But the word 'can' means that you'll get necks slit open by them if not taking caution. So ten to twelve hour from now, I advise you to steel yourselves, get some good night's sleep, have a decent meal in the morning, and above all else, do not go out there in play hero. Survival is your own responsibility, and I am not so nice to come and wipe all of your asses. Understood?"

All of them nod without complaint.

"All right. Lights out."

The campfires were killed as the ex-whores went to their sheets.

Time for me to hit the sack as well.

Down the elevator, and off to...

"... Since when did we have beds?"

No seriously, the hammock room was now having cots with sheets all over.

On the plus side, at least Seiryu and Suzaku won't step on each other. And the fact that we're also accommodating ex-nobles is also helping as well.

"You taught em' how to brush their teeth?" I asked Garou pointing towards the Hakuko family.

"Nah." The wolf-teen stated. "She did." He pointed towards Rio.

Alright, enough thinking.

Time to hit the sack.

**Next Morning...**

Soon as my body got off of the cot, I began to immediately get to work preparing for the coming [Wave].

Two sets of new armor were forged by Byakko ([Salamander Scale Mail] for Rio and [Blessed Silver Bracer Platings] Byakko himself), reattached my [Bandit's Silver Thumb] (removed it for my Kefka disguise to enforce method acting, and forgot to reattach it), and I feel like I'm forgetting something...

... Oh right, I look like a goddamn mountain man from the early 1800s.

I then open my switchblade in my prosthetic thumb and begin scraping with soap and water.

... Few cuts on the skin aside, I think it'll do. But I need a proper razor later on.

"Morning y'all." I greeted the whole party.

We have breakfast, I get myself fruit salad, everyone else gets pancakes, and Garou and Fubuki, just meat, as usual.

Khronos then looks at me with a scrutiny.

"... I swear, I tried feeding them tomatoes. They vomited."

And after breakfast, I switch out my slightly-burnt [Enigmatic Trickster's Garbs] for the [Necromancer's Robes], cover my feet with [Mire Boots], and put on the [Visage of Madness], which, upon putting it on...

... I suddenly feel really _giddy_ all of the sudden.

"You okay, Nan?" Wyndia asked.

"Peachy."

I then order Garou and Fubuki to hole up with the other refugees with the Hakukos, holding down the fort with Iliad, Baraka, Bengal, Keaton, and Yaelia.

Time to [Teleport] out with my party!

**Current Party: [Nan Hon-Jah] (Leader/Multi-Range DPS & Support), [Rino] (Cleanup Hitter), [Rio Murasame] (Dodgetank DPS), [Seiryu] (Physical Tank), [Suzaku] (Aggro-Control/Ranged DPS), [Wyndia] (Main DPS), and [Genbu] ("Secret Weapon").**

**One [Teleport-Intersection-Melromarc] later...**

... Time to put on my swagger.

As me and my whole party walk into the gates, I teasingly blow a kiss to one of the [Royal Guards], causing him to faint in fear, and upon setting foot into the city, the civilians begin to tremble in fear.

... I feel like in a mood for singing.

"So you come a long way... But you'll never have me..."

"Nan, what are you doing?" Wyndia asked.

"... Singing." I stated. "Specifically, _Busy Earnin' _by _Jungle_."

She then looks at me with curiosity.

"... Want me to teach you how to sing?" I asked.

She nods eagerly.

"Then sing with me." I requested. "Ahem..."

"Never have things for normal life... It's time to busy earnin'... Can't get enough..."

After that pitch, Wyndia immediately catches the pitch, and the rest of my party joins in like if we're some kind of minstrel group coming to town.

"This busy earnin'... You can't get enough... You think all your time is used... Too busy earnin'... You can't get enough-"

**"NAOFUMI!"**

With a sound of wood and stone crashing, out beat was cut off.

... We're in that, aren't we?

Time to cut in at the right time.

We peek around the corner, scene plays out as it should, Motoyasu goes on a purple prose of how he has a hard-on for little girls, the bitch-princess legalizing the duel between the [Shield Hero] and the [Spear Hero], and just as before Melty's cue...

"[Burst Mine]."

A magic circle was placed between the two, and...

"... Detonate."

The mine explodes, sending the two flying back away from each other.

And from the smoke, I emerge.

"Why don't you take a seat over there?" I told Motoyasu, quoting Chris Hansen.

I also find Malty splayed on the floor.

"Sup, fry-face." I stated with the smarmiest grin that I can do. "Men ain't enough to satisfy your lust?"

She coughs right before glaring at me with her half-burnt face.

"Whoa! What the fuck happened to your face-Oh right,_ I_ did." I bait and switched.

The smoke begins to clear up, revealing Naofumi giving me a stink-eye.

"Sup." I greeted. "Still alive, as expected."

"What the hell, Nan!?" He barked back.

And around the corner, the blue-haired counterpart of the Whore Princess of the Uterine Sea show up.

"And not a moment too soon..."

**Melty Q. Melromarc**

**World's most hardass princess (And barely hit puberty)**

"What's going on here!?" The tiny princess cried out.

"Hello there." I waved towards Melty.

And now the smoke completely clears, revealing Raphtalia, Filo (now a [Filolial Queen Cleric]), and my whole party, all in their overleveled swagger.

"Sup." I called out from the crate that I was sitting on. "How's the weather?"

Motoyasu, being some sort of Shounen-protag-wannabe that he is, charges towards me.

"[Chaos Spear]!"

"[Deny Aura]."

The [Chaos Spear] phases through me, but smashes the crate that I was standing on.

I then take that moment to feel his crotch.

"... How did you get your balls back?" I asked. "Wait, it's Melromarc, don't question it."

I then whip out [Sacrificial Dagger] from Grimm's pages and stab him in his ass cheek, giving him the [Seven Deadly Sins], all the while tasing him at the same time.

"Hit the deck, soldier."

The [Spear Hero] falls onto his back.

"Sorry about the display of poor behavior, Crown Princess Melty Q. Melromarc." I bowed before the blue-haired girl.

"Wait, a princess!?" Naofumi barked out. "You're related to her!?" He pointed towards the red-haired whore getting crap kicked out of her by Seiryu and Suzaku like a total bitch that she was.

"... You wanna talk elsewhere?" I asked. "Best I told you where we're least likely to get shanked."

"Master, I still don't trust him." I heard Raphtalia's voice speaking of me with great disdain.

"Me too..." Filo chirped out. "... Because he has a [Filolial] acting buddy-buddy with a [Dragon]. _Two_ of them to boot."

"You got a problem with that?" I pointed out.

Filo then transforms into her [Filolial Queen] form.

"Very, VERY MUCH!" She squacks out as she charged towards me.

Suzaku then uses his [Heat Nail] to entangle Filo's legs, causing her to trip over her own foot (the heat helps as irritant).

He then stakes the nail down on the ground, anchoring her to the dirt, and knocks her out with a chop to the back of her head.

"She'll be fine." I told the [Shield Hero]'s party. "... We should head elsewhere before people get suspicious."

I then spot Rino stomping on Motoyasu's crotch repeatedly before Byakko dragged her off with the rest of us, right before we all hid inside of Naofumi's shadow with [Shadow Dive].

**One fast-travel later...**

"Okay you, I understand. But _him_!?"

By him, the blacksmith was referring to _me_.

"Don't worry, I ain't gonna bite." I reassured.

"Says the person who burned down the entire Melromarcian Royal Palace." Melty pointed out. "Which reminds me, how do you even know who I was in the first place?"

"Met your mum at the [Shieldfreeden/Melromarc Borders]." I told her. "We're chill with each other."

"You're lying." She stated.

"Then allow me to present proof." I stated. "You've been assigned on a diplomatic mission of your very own, that being to mend the relations between the [Four Cardinal Heroes], particularly the [Shield Hero], and enfranchise the [Shield Hero] from the Melromarcian Royalty once more, if I'm correct?"

"... How do you know all that?" Melty replied in a horrified tone.

"Like I said, met your mum myself." I stated.

"I feel like there's more to this story..." Naofumi pointed out. "Tell us more."

"... Alright." I stated. "I'll tell you all what happens to her, in the _future_."

The whole room goes quiet.

"Alright, so here it is." I started. "Post-[Wave] Naofumi and his whole party will attempt to make a break towards Siltvelt after getting their [Class Promotions] rejected by the King's decree, along the way, Melty will try and deter the [Shield Hero] from leaving Melromarc, but one of the Princess's escorts will try and kill her, causing the [Shield Hero] to step in and take the blow, but Plan B is executed, resulting in all of her escorts to attack the princess, framing this as a kidnapping attempt instigated by the [Shield Hero]..."

I throw one of the [Steel Throwing Knives] propped on the counter towards the corner of the room entrance behind the blacksmith, with a [Shadow] hitting the floor with a thud, knife in throat, and blood pooling around the smith's boots.

"Sorry." I apologized at the freaked out blacksmith. "I don't like evesdroppers, especially if it's from the higher-ups in this stinking town..."

I then rummage through his body, and find a [Small Projection Orb] recording our conversation (but not transmitting it live, thank god), which then I crush it under my boot.

"... I take it that you believe me now?" I pointed out.

"Father wants me dead?" Melty spoke out in horror, with Filo comforting her in her [Filolial Queen] form's feathers.

"... Yes, and _no_, oddly enough." I stated. "On one hand, he wants the [Shield Hero]'s head on a pike and his two girls behind bars at _all costs_. But on the other hand, he doesn't want his own family members caught in the fire... or so he _thinks_."

"What do you mean?" Raphtalia asked.

"Okay, not gonna even bother, but the real mastermind behind this whole damn conspiracy are the following: wine-red hair, [Fire] affinity, and the one that got half of her face burned off, basically a pinstripe suit away from being _She-Two-Face_."

"... Malty." Naofumi facepalmed. "... It's always her."

"You know, I would be surprised at this point, but considering that this is not her first time on her attempts at my life, I now find it comical." Melty stated in a dejected tone while crouching from a corner.

"Personally, I just want to cut her head open and see how her noggin works, but that's for another day." I pointed out. "Oh, and before I go..."

I get off of the main counter, dispose the body/Grimm's lunch, and begin to leave parting gifts.

"For the blacksmith that happens to be one of the few decent people in this stinking hellhole..." I declared. "... I would like to buy your belt of [Steel Throwing Knives] for the lovely lady behind me, and a pair of [Crimson Armwraps] for the masked lady in my party."

"That'll be 1,500 gold." He stated.

I place the sack of money on the counter and hand the two [Equipments] to Rino and Rio respectively.

"As for the [Shield Hero] and his lovely ladies..."

Raphtalia flips me off.

"... For the [Shield Hero], a [Salamander Scale]." I then throw the scale towards his [Legendary Shield].

"... [Salamander Shield]?" He pointed out at the red dragonscale shield.

"For the raccoon-girl, [Sword of the Sacred Light], perfect for your [Light] affinity."

I then hand her the golden hilted handle, which the blade of white flames shoot out of the gap.

"Perfect for slaying [Undead]." I added in. "As for the [Filolial Queen]..."

I give her the [Roc Talons], the one that I got from wild [Rocs].

"Perfect for your [Wind] affinity, and can cut through any armor with relative ease." I stated. "Now for my final parting gift..."

I then take out my [Portable Dragon's Hourglass].

"Who wants [Class Promotion]?" I asked.

"How much?" Naofumi asked, without Raphtalia interjecting.

"No gold required." I stated. "Just a few of your best [Mana Potions] and [Health Potions], free of charge."

I then activate my hourglass on the three of them, and here are their promotions.

**[Raphtalia]**

**Class: [Slave Fighter]**

**A) [Swordmaster] ([Sword] & [Katana])**

**B) [Slayer] ([Sword] & [Whip])**

**C) [Duelist] ([Sword] & [Dagger])**

**[Filo]**

**Class: [Filolial Queen Cleric]**

**A) [Marshal] ([Claw] & [Gauntlet])**

**B) [Warlord] ****([Claw] & [Shield])**

**C) [Marauder] ([Claw] & [Dagger])**

**[Naofumi Iwatani]**

**Class: [Shield Hero]**

**A) ****[Shield Saint]**** ([Sacred Shield])**

**B) ****[Shield Fallen] ([Forbidden Shield])**

"Your choice."

The party then makes their choice, hands me the commissioned price ([Advanced Mana Potion-Grade A+ x15] and [Advanced Health Potion-Grade A+ x15]) and leaves. And just right after that, I hide in Erhard's (just learned the smith's name) shadow, and as Melty was escorted out of the smith's shop, I slip a note in her rear pocket before she left the counter.

**[Watch your back.]**

"Now then..." I stated as I got out of Erhard's shadow. "Sorry bout' that, but kinda need to head elsewhere, and preferably, without setting the whole castle town on fire, _again_..."

**Time Remaining Before [Wave] Starts:**

**0 Days**

**1 Hour**

**32 Minutes**

**41 Seconds**

"... Oh right, [Guild Hall]."

**Another fast travel later...**

"Bustling as always..." I muttered out at the wooden interiors smelling of beer and shit.

As I walk around the unsavory folk stationed here, I began to look around for two certain people of interest...

... Which to took me around less than ten seconds.

"Ugh, it feels like I'm being handheld around a goddamn tutorial..." I groaned.

Fuck it, going in.

I then eavesdrop on them.

"Well, guess I have to show them that great power comes with great responsibility." Itsuki stated while looking at the bounty poster.

"Sup, Spider Man?" I greeted.

Before he could even draw his bead, Grimm's jaw's placed between both of his arms.

"I took away your entire party, buddy." I stated to the [Bow Hero]. "I could take more off the top, if you'd like."

The teeth did not lie my intentions.

"What do you want?" Itsuki snarled out.

"For the love god, I beg of you, do not take that quest that you're holding onto." I requested.

"What? So that you can let injustice run wild!?" The [Bow Hero] retorted.

"No, it's to spare your fate from becoming a fucking tool." I stated. "You honestly think that you know what's what?"

"What do you possibly know?" He snarled out.

"More than you do, Peter Parker." I stated. "For one, the previous job you look was a scam. They needed free muscle to topple down the current regime at that time so that they may take power to themselves."

"You make it sound like a bad thing." Itsuki stated. "I was just disposing a tyrant."

"And honestly thought that replacing a tyrant with a despot was a genius idea." I snarked. "If I had both of my arms, I would clap in a sarcasm."

I then hear his teeth grind against each other.

"Bottom line sweetie, those 'noble revolutionaries' that you supported?" I pointed out. "... You got played like a fucking fiddle. All because of your demented sense of justice, and your MMORPG-savvy being completely, and absolutely, WRONG!"

... I just had to pull a Lex Luthor. Wanted to do that for a while.

"Oh and, by the way, where's Ren?" I asked the now-shocked Itsuki.

He then pointed toward the pub area.

"... Whoa. He's hittin' on the booze quite hard, eh?"

"Who's fault do you think it is?" Itsuki pointed out.

"You're right, sorry." I stated.

Might wanna keep Ren away from Rio from him for a while...

Fuck it, heading back out before I puke from the scent of rotgut.

And not a moment too soon...

**Time Remaining Before [Wave] Starts:**

**0 Days**

**0 Hour**

**0 Minutes**

**10 Seconds**

"Nan!?" Rino spoke to me as I headed out of the doors. "Now what!?"

"Gametime."

**[Wave] Start**

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Second [Wave], start.

Motoyasu neglected to wear a cup, Naofumi and his whole party hates SI slightly less (unsure), Itsuki just got a heavy dose of reality check via psychological enema, and Ren's still hitting the bottle.

Oh, and forgot to mention, but forgot to point out the chronological beat of this event, and we can just say that Si's interference caused Princess Malty to arrive a day late.

Still the same events happened offscreen, but hey, the SI is the main character of this "narrative".

**IRL Note:** My dad is currently going through chemotherapy as of now. Mum said that he would be out by September.

Now if you excuse me, I have F/GO's Summer Event to conqueror. Also wish me luck on my Dead Heat Summer Race Banner (Want Caster!Umu), and my other fanfics!

My ideas are like embers, and your continued support are like tinder.

Only together we can burn brightly.

* * *

_**Stat Updates (Current Party):**_

* * *

**Name: [Hero Hunter] [Nan Hon-Jah]**

**Class: [Tome Fallen]**

**Level: 62**

**Affinites: [All Eight Elements]**

**Alignment: Neutral Evil**

**Equipment: [Forbidden Tome, Grimm the Heretic], [Necromancer's Robes], [Mire Boots], [Wight's Rune of Spite], [Silver Wolf's Maw], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Visage of Madness], [Geas: Mind Diver], [Portable Dragon's Hourglass]**

**Attack: 74 (+135)**

**Defense: 71 (+10)**

**Agility: 71 (+75)**

**Luck: 68 (+85)**

**HP: 570 (+45)**

**MP: 690 (+175)**

* * *

**Name: [Rino]**

**Class: [Slave Assassin]**

**Level: 58**

**Affinites: [Earth]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Brave Compound Bow], [Spark Dagger], [Steel Throwing Knives x20], [Assassin's Cloak], [Shadow Mufflers], [Silent Step Sandals]**

**Attack: 54 (+80)**

**Defense: 33 (+10)**

**Agility: 74 (+120)**

**Luck: 76 (+90)**

**HP: 300 (+40)**

**MP: 240 (+40)**

* * *

**Name: [Wyndia]**

**Class: [Predator]**

**Level: 40**

**Affinites: [Fire] & [Wind]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Evil**

**Equipment: [Dragoon Pike****], [Bulletstorm], [Espar Robes], [Visage of Scorn], [Fog Gloves], [Demonic Rune of Bloodlust]**

**Attack: 47 (+150)**

**Defense: 36 (-20)**

**Agility: 49 (+100)**

**Luck: 12 (-12)**

**HP: 350 (-50)**

**MP: 200 (+100)**

* * *

**Name: [Seiryu]**

**Class: [Tyrera Queen Spell Fencer]**

**Level: 40**

**Affinites: [Water]**

**Alignment: True Neutral**

**Equipment: [Rune Slayer], [Barbarian Armor], [Barbarian Helm], [Berserk Rune], [Berserker's Mantle], [Chimera Teeth Necklace]**

**Attack: 49 (+125)**

**Defense: 45 (+55)**

**Agility: 22 (+20)**

**Luck: 20 (-10)**

**HP: 530 (+250)**

**MP: 150 (+65)**

* * *

**Name: [Byakko]**

**Class: [Hermit]**

**Level: 40**

**Affinites: [Fire], [Lightning], [Light]**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Equipment: [Medic's Scalpels], [Cleric's Cane], [Faithful Suit], [Blessed Silver Bracer Platings], [Field Medic's Utility Belt]**

**Attack: 42 (+20)**

**Defense: 37 (+100)**

**Agility: 47 (+30)**

**Luck: 36 (+50)**

**HP: 380 (+120)**

**MP: 380 (+120)**

* * *

**Name: [Suzaku]**

**Class: [Filolial King Adventurer]**

**Level: 40**

**Affinites: [Fire]**

**Alignment: True Neutral**

**Equipment: [Heat Nail], [Vermilion Robes], [Rouge's Cowl], [Mark of the Apex Predator], [Celestial Rune of Protection], [Mark of the Shadow Dancer], [Mark of the Apostle]**

**Attack: 58 (+120)**

**Defense: 15 (+15)**

**Agility: 80 (+70)**

**Luck: 67 (+40)**

**HP: 100 (+40)**

**MP: 100 (+40)**

* * *

**Name: [Rio Murasame]**

**Class: [Slave Swordmaster]**

**Level: 50**

**Affinites: [Water]**

**Alignment: True Neutral**

**Equipment: [****Chokutō****], [Salamander Scale Mail], [Wanderer's Cloak], [Crimson Armwraps], [Visage of Silence]**

**Attack: 60 (+120)**

**Defense: 53 (+70)**

**Agility: 57 (+70)**

**Luck: 29 (+95)**

**HP: 500 (+50)**

**MP: 240 (+20)**

* * *

**Name: [Genbu]**

**Class: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Affinites: None**

**Alignment: ?**

**Equipment: [Wayward Nomad's Garbs], [Silver Pocket Watch & Chain], [Silver Shortsword], [Silver Buckler], [Fafnir's Flametongue]**

**Attack: ?**

**Defense: ?**

**Agility: ?**

**Luck: 9,999**

**HP: ?**

**MP: ?**

* * *

So how is this Epic?

What will happen if the two SAO OCs meet up? How messy will it be?

And for the love of god, how will the second [Wave] end with the SI's now-overleveled-as-fuck party!?

Leave a comment or a review, for I'd love to hear what my audiences are thinking!


	18. Epic 18: The Menace Part 2

**_Continuing self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_Waiting for Season 2..._**

**_Finger Count: 5/10_**

**_Eye Count: 2/2_**

**_Sanity Meter: 61%_**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

_**Epic 18: The Menace Part 2**_

* * *

So sky's blood-red, spirals of magenta are present, and people running about, both towards and away from danger, and frankly speaking...

... Me and my party don't give a damn.

"Alright people!" I cried out. "We got company, and all of em' eager!"

I kick aside a [Goblin Fighter], snapping its neck from the torque.

"Now where's that damned ship..." I muttered as I looked up in the red skies.

"Um, master?" I heard Byakko.

"Talk to me."

"There's a flying ship up in the sky." He pointed his gloved hand upwards towards the [Phantom Ship].

I kid you not, my [Analyze] classifies it as an [Undead]/[Inorganic] hybrid, which, the way, should be impossible, since ships are not alive in the first place-

... Nevermind. Almost forgot where I was currently at right now.

**Name: [Phantom Ship]**

**Class: [Phantasmal Encounter]**

**Level: 54**

**Affinities: [Dark] & [Water]**

**Alignment: True Neutral**

**Item Drops: [Merrow Figurehead] (50%), [Anchor of Drowned Souls] (50%), [Black Mast Robes] (10%)**

**Attack: 44**

**Defense: 69**

**Agility: 10**

**Luck: 0**

**HP: 1,200**

**MP: 1,000**

"... Are we just gonna stand here gawking?" Wyndia stated.

Gaelion transforms into his [Dragon Emperor] form.

"Wonder how the others are doing back at the fort..." I muttered as my whole party got on before we took off.

... And no, the crowd around us were too baffled by the [Wave] to notice that my party and I were riding atop of a friggin' [Dragon Emperor].

Man these people have their priorities screwed.

**Switching POV: Garou and Fubuki**

"OORRAA!"

Garou punches a hole through a [Hobgoblin Reaver]'s chest.

A [Hobgoblin Brigand] tries to flank Garou from his left with its [Silver Halberd-Poisoned], but Keaton the [Direwolf] pounces onto its side, right before eating its neck open with its teeth.

"Thanks." Garou stated towards the bear-sized wolf.

Keaton barks affirmatively as he goes to assist the ex-whores fighting a [Werepanther Ranger].

Bengal, the [Weretiger] then appears next to Garou, with the stolen poisoned [Silver Halberd] in hand.

"Ready, junior?" Garou barked out while clashing his [Katars] together, emitting sparks from the friction.

**"I was born for this." **Bengal snarled out.

The two then charge towards the group of [Goblin Mages], ducking and weaving through the volley of [Fireballs].

Elsewhere, Fubuki, riding atop of Yaelia, was pelting her [Freeze shot] from her [Twilight Gunstaff], and the [Wyrmlich] freezing everything in her path with her [Lich Breath].

"Miss Yaelia!" Fubuki cried out upon seeing a flock of [Berserk Harpies] heading towards her.

The [Wyrmlich] freezes all of them to death, their frozen corpses shattering upon hitting the earth.

Fubuki then sees the Hakukos surrounded by a horde of [Goblin Rogues] led by a [Powerful Hobgoblin Raider], riding atop of a [Excited Bicorn].

"Yaelia! We need to help them!"

The [Wyrmlich] roars affirmatively, dashing towards the encirclement and thinning their ranks.

"Thanks." Fohl stated while punching a [Goblin Rogue] across its long-nosed face.

"Keep a tight formation!" Khronos cried out as he banged his [Rune Gauntlets]. "Don't let the enemy take you by surprise!"

The leader charges towards Folh, with its [Silver Spontoon-Cursed] pointed front, and its [Bicorn] braying loudly.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st Person**

"BUGGER OFF, YOU DAMN BASTARD!"

Okay, maybe flying on a [Dragon Emperor] might've been a bad idea.

Since the [Wave] is literally raining down [Encounters], my whole party was kicking out unwanted passengers off of Gaelion, while avoiding falling off ourselves.

"Get off my plane."

I then kick a [Werewolf Myrmidon] in its balls right before stomp-kicking it off while quoting Air Force One.

"Alright!" I cried out. "How you all doing on your end!?"

Byakko slits a [Goblin Fighter]'s throat, Rino [Killshot]s a [Hobgoblin Swordmaster] through its neck, Wyndia skewers a [Werewolf Nobushi] through the back of its chest, Suzaku Scorpions a [Hobgoblin Summoner], interrupting its [Summon-Undead Locusts] with Seiryu's following it up with a clothesline, and Rio beheads five [Hobgoblins] at the same time.

"Fine, I guess." Genbu stated after climbing onto my shoulder. "So, we're heading up to the skies again after almost getting shot down?"

A shiver runs down my spine.

"Don't jinx it." I told Genbu.

We then kept ourselves in the air, shooting down any [Encounter] dumb enough to land on Gaelion.

"Wyndia!" I called out while shooting down a [Berserk Wyvern]. "How much longer til we get to the flying boat!?"

"ALMOST THERE!" She cried out as Gaelion picked up speed.

I then spot the ship going adjacent to the cliff sides, where I saw the three stooges board the ship.

"Rubicante."

The [Ifrit] shows itself before me, with [Firebrand] and [Ashbrand] sheathed around his back.

Cheeky bastard.

**"What do you desire of me, my new sultan?" **Ifrit spoke out in the voice of Patrick Seitz (my VA mancrush).

"I need you to cover fire for me while me and my party raid the [Phantom Ship]." I stated. "Take out any flying fucks coming towards our way, understood?"

Rubicante nods as he then flew off ahead towards the flying ghost ship.

Eventually, Gaelion was now above the ship.

"PREPARE TO BOARD!" I roared out to the others right before chugging an [Advanced Mana Potion-Grade A+].

The others nodded.

"NOW JUMP!"

We all freefall towards the deck, with Rubicante covering fire.

"SUPERHERO LANDING!"

... Bad idea.

I kinda forgot that the ship was made of wood.

i.e., _really old wood_.

So upon landing, my whole party burst a hole through the deck, landing at the ship's long-rotted cargo hold.

... And another [Phantasmal Encounter].

**Name: [Royal Kraken Zombie]**

**Class: [Phantasmal Encounter]**

**Level: 57**

**Affinities: [Dark] & [Water]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Item Drops: [Dark Resin x50] (100%), [Eye of the Beholder] (20%)**

**Attack: 55**

**Defense: 55**

**Agility: 0**

**Luck: 0**

**HP: 1,000**

**MP: 1,000**

You know, going off topic for a second, I just realized that the two [Undeads] might have a symbiotic relationship.

Squids here acts as the ship's "lifeblood", while the ship acts as the squid's armor. And you know what?

I think I'll cover on biology later, for now gotta get back to killing shit.

"Sup." I spoke out while trying to crawl out of the hole.

I was then met with an arrow to the face, caught between my teeth.

"Dick move, buddy." I directed it towards Itsuki. "Save those arrows for things that wanna kill ya blatantly."

Itsuki then shoots another, but the release was botched by Wyndia shooting a round from her [Bulletstorm] shotgun, splintering the floorboard before the [Bow Hero]'s feet.

"Uh, sweetie, I suggest saving those for something that actually deserves it." I pointed out. "We only have eight left."

"SINCE WHEN THE HELL DID YOU GET A SHOTGUN!?" Motoyasu barked out.

"Outside of Melromarc, buddy." I stated as Gaelion transforms into his [Wyvern Emperor] form. "You should travel sometime."

I then quickly look for Ren through Motoyasu's new party (all women, as usual), and then I saw a bunch of [Skeletons] flying off of the boat.

"That Ren over there?" I asked Itsuki while pointing behind him.

Then Naofumi and his party land next to mine, now cramming this already-miniscule boat up to full capacity.

"... One of us is going to have to go." I stated. "And it sure as hell ain't gonna be me."

I direct Rubicante towards the ship, him shooting [Hellfire Grenades] towards the ship.

"You plan to kill us!?" Naofumi cried out.

"Nope." I stated. "Rubicante however, is more than willing."

[Magma Mines] then bubble around their feet, right before it all explodes, sending everyone but my party off of the boat.

"Try to land your feet, assholes!" I cried over the edge.

"Nan, was that really necessary?" Rino pointed out. "I hate Motoyasu and that red-haired bitch as much as anyone else, but you know that none of them can fly, right?"

"Eh, self-preservation will win out in the end." I offhandedly remarked. "They'll be fine."

And preach to the gospel, they all land with their [Air Strike Shield] acting as platforms for Filo to step down on as Rubicante corralled the others away from the ship.

Itsuki uses [Air Strike Shot] to boost himself and break the landing, Ren uses the hooked blades of his [Dead Render] to hook around a tree branch and perform a three-point-landing, and Motoyasu uses his [Wing Spear] like some sort of witch's broom and catches all of his goldfish harem, with Malty trying to push one off of the broom, right before the girl next to the shoved girl was snatched by a [Starving Wyvern] before getting messily eaten like a scene out of Cross Ange.

"Alright." I sighed out after shuddering. "... Let's get this shit over with."

I then raise my hand.

"[Dritte-Smite]!"

My [Light] magic blinds the whole deck, drawing out the shadow monster controlling the [Royal Skeleton Fighter] and blinding the [Kraken Zombie] simultaneously.

Said shadow monster...

... You know what, fuck the stat sheet.

It was an underleveled, level 20 [Shadow Puppeteer].

"[Capture]."

The privileges of being overleveled as hell.

"[Shadow Puppeteer], added to [Summons]." My HUD stated.

I will call him Curtain, because Wizard of Oz.

Look it up.

"Alright." I stated. "Kill the rest."

My whole party then smashes through the ranks of the [Undead] on board, making quick work through the level 36 average mobs.

At least they were technically right about each passing [Wave] being stronger than the last. For I am damning them with a faint praise at this point.

"All done." Wyndia stated as she finished off the _only_ [Wight Warden] on the ship.

Then the boss shows up.

... Looking at the genuine article compared to its on-screen appearance?

Suddenly, I don't feel bored anymore.

Only the fact that I've might've pissed myself.

**Soul Eater**

**Will eat your soul (It's in the name, dumbass)**

**Name: [Vengeful Soul Eater]**

**Class: [Boss Encounter]**

**Level: 59**

**Affinities: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Lawful Evil**

**Item Drops: [White Leather Coat] (70%), [Ethereal Hide x10] (70%), [Third Eye] (45%), [Advanced Magic Ore x60] (20%)**

**Attack: 65**

**Defense: 55**

**Agility: 45**

**Luck: 10**

**HP: 800**

**MP: 800**

Okay, from appearance, I'm suspecting it's an offshoot of a [Ghost], meaning that physical attacks ain't gonna do crap.

"You know that means!?" I spoke out estactically.

"You know that not all of us can use magic, right?" Rio pointed out.

"Fortunately, I have a plan." I replied. "Byakko, help me phoenix down this sonofabitch to near anti-death. Rest of you, take care of the [Kraken Zombie]."

"Got it." Rio stated as she drew her sword.

"Understood." The butler then pulls out his [Cleric's Cane]. "[High-Healing]!"

The [Soul Eater] screeches out in pain, as about roughly a tenth of its HP was cut.

"Yep, revive kills undead." I muttered. "Although what does the [Vengeful] [Affix] even do?"

Dumb move, but gonna experiment.

"[Dritte-Smite]!"

... Holy shit, I carved off about a third of its health with a single shot.

"... Something tells me that this is too easy in this literation." I pointed out.

Upon reaching near-anti-death, I [Capture] the [Soul Eater].

... Then chest pains.

LOTS and lots of CHEST PAIN!

I was too busy screaming in agony as I lost two-thirds of my HP in a _volley_ of agony.

It felt like a _semi-auto_ went off inside my guts.

"B-Blood..." I heaved out. "So much blood..."

It was a literal puddle of blood pooled around my hands.

I feel sick. My body feels so cold. And my head was basically featherweight.

The lack of blood sucks. It sucks so bad.

"THIS IS WHAT [Vengeful] DOES!?" I wheezed out. "... Okay, that kinda makes sense in hindsight, but this never happened in the canon."

If I haven't kicked them out, the four of them might've _died_. [Cursed Series], be damned.

"So much for unlocking the [Cursed Series] for a quick and easy power-up..." I muttered as Byakko performed [High-Healing] on me, pumping my blood back into my heart. "... My plan... failed."

... I failed.

"ARGGGGGAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

I smash my fist through the deck.

"... Nan?" Rino spoke out. "You okay?"

My breathing became unstable.

The unstable breathing becomes a cackle.

"... Too well." I stated.

Another [Soul Eater] descends from the [Wave].

But I knew.

I already knew.

The rest of my party comes towards me.

"Nan, what's going on!?" Rio spoke out. "Why are we standing here doing nothing!?"

The [Soul Eater] gets cut into ribbons.

"Because of that." I stated.

Behind the crumbling [Soul Eater], a slim female in a dark-violet kimono with white obi and patterns on the cloth, holding onto two fans with a single gem on each of the fan's tips.

"Sup." I told the familiar stranger.

**Glass**

**Tougher than she looks**

She then begins to look around the boat.

"Where is the [Shield Hero]?" Glass asked.

"Threw him overboard myself." I stated. "Might be dead, might not."

"I have no time for you, whoever you are." She brushed me off.

... Ok, now I'm mad.

Rubicante shoots a [Hellfire Grenade] at her.

"Foolish." Glass responded by unfurling her [Scared Fans]. "[Cinder Stance Rondo: Dying Embers]."

She literally peters out the flames with her fans.

"Do plan to get in my way, stranger?" Glass asked.

"Gotta." I replied. "Because as much as you hate the [Shield Hero] as much as I hate the [Three Cardinal Heroes], I need them alive for my future plans."

"And just what are your plans, _interloper_?" She asked once more.

"... Sorry." I teased. "Friends gotta keep secrets between each other, don't you agree?"

"I will have answers." She replied.

Glass begins her offense.

"[Heretical Stance Rondo: Black Sabbath]!"

Multiple black-colored vectors (I mean literal arrows) come towards my party.

"EVERYONE! SPLIT!" I ordered.

Whole party runs around as the arrows home in on them, myself included.

In that window of time, I [Analyze] her.

Unlike the other [Heroes], who couldn't read her stats due to them being severely underleveled compared to her, I was the glaring exception.

**Name: [Glass]**

**Class: [Phantom Fan Saint]**

**Level: 89**

**Affinities: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipement: [Sacred Fans], [Kimono of Mourning]**

**Attack: 102 (+50)**

**Defense: 83 (+50)**

**Agility: 121 (+50)**

**Luck: 50 (+50)**

**HP: 780 (+200)**

**MP: 800 (+200)**

Minimal [Equipment], but high enough stats to compensate for the bare essentials.

And due to her race being [Phantom], the final form that a [Ghost] can evolve into, physical attacks won't do shit.

Weirdest part?

She's not classified as an [Undead] despite being a [Phantom].

Then again, from the OG source material, her race are technically not [Ghosts], just alike, so that minor detail is working to her strengths.

And oh, and her HP and MP are basically interlinked, meaning that she has a combined total of _1,980_ points of HP and MP.

So what was that [Soul Eater] for?

"[Summon-Soul Eater]!"

Out of Grimm's pages, the macabre-looking [Undead] appears.

"SUCK HER DRY-"

"[Exorcism Stance Rondo: Evil-Spirit Sealing]!"

Her vectors vanish, but in place, my [Soul Eater] gets disintegrated inside a orb of light.

... Again. I hate worf effects.

"Oh course she would have coverage to her own weakness..." I muttered.

"So you're sort of a [Summoner]..." Glass pointed out. "... To think that you would side with these monsters."

"Says the woman who's trying to kill the [Shield Hero] without telling him why." I pointed out.

"Your business is naught my concern." Glass bit out. "Step aside peacefully, or I will have to force my way through."

"What, so you can save your own world?"

She goes silent.

"... How do you know?" She breathed out.

"I'm psychic." I pointed out. "Just read your mind, sweetheart."

I love my prior knowledge of the source material and exploiting it through a filter of lies.

"T-Then you know that the [Shield Hero] must be slain in order to save my home!" Glass spoke out.

"You know what's the weird part, Miss Glass?"

Time to drop the BS bomb.

"... Your _second_ world was already destroyed from the moment you entered this world."

She drops her fans.

"... You lie." Glass whispered out. "My friends are still fighting in that world! Preventing its destruction! I came to this world to slay the [Shield Hero] so that my world can be saved. For that's what the goddess has proclaimed! The [Shield Hero] is the root of all the [Waves]!"

"... Gonna have to come up with a better argument than that, sweetheart." I replied. "Because this whole 'goddess'?"

Rubicante appears behind her with [Firebrand] and [Ashbrand] swung towards her.

**"She's the real cause of the [Wave] and your cradle's initial destruction."**

And since both of Rubicante's weapons are part-[Wand]s, that means that his swings register as _magical damage_.

Case in point?

The flaming [Sword]/[Wand]s actually touch her, sending her flying towards the mast, and snapping it into two.

"Hey Glassy." I walked towards the broken-down mast. "Cough once if you're alive."

She lets out a hack.

"Good girl."

I stab her in the chest with the [Sacrificial Dagger].

**Switching POV: Glass**

_"Mother! Father! Brother!"_

_She failed._

_She failed to save her world._

_The [Waves] have consumed everything the very earth that she was raised in._

_All of her friends, her family, her home._

_... Were all dead._

_She failed._

_... She failed as a [Hero]._

_Amidst the lifeless darkness, a glowing figure stood before her._

_A Goddess._

_Of Good._

_Righteousness__._

_Justice._

_Benevolence._

_Love._

_"Do you wish to be stronger?" The Goddess asked._

_"... I do." _

_"Do you wish for a second chance, little one?"_

_"... I do."_

_"... Then I shall give you the chance to redeem your failure."_

_A magic circle was formed beneath her feet._

_"Go." The Goddess stated. "Go and start your life in the other world."_

_"Gather allies."_

_"Gather experience."_

_"And kill the [Shield Hero], the devil behind it all."_

_"... I will."_

**[Cursed Series] Unlocked**

**[Wrath Fan 3] Added**

**[Envy Fan 2] Added**

**[Lust Fan 1] Added**

**[Gluttony Fan 1] Added**

**[Sloth Fan 1] Added**

**[Pride Fan 2] Added**

**[Despair Fan 3] Added**

**Switching POV: Back to 1st Person**

"Everyone, step back." I ordered.

... You know, in hindsight, I think I might be a little too liberal giving everyone the knife, but considering that my plan involves have all of the possible [Heroes] having the [Cursed Series], I think I might have to bite the bullet on this one and improvise from there.

Although to be fair, my plan also revolves around me improvising, I think I think I've might shot myself in the foot since day one.

... I'm a complete dumbass.

Glass goes friggin Alma Wade on all of us and begins to attack me _personally_.

Worse, the [Kraken Zombie] was still alive.

"I'LL HOLD HER OFF!" I cried out. "THE REST OF YOU TAKE CARE TO SQUIDWARD!"

The party splits, and the me and the lady are now alone.

"So..." I stated while cracking my neck. "... What's up your ass?"

Her eyes begin to glow red as she let out a roar.

The [Sacred Fans] in her grip turn flame-like and dragonic in design.

"Umm... [Wrath Fan 3]?" I guessed.

**"Die."**

The fans open as she readied her offense.

**"[Wrath Stance Aria****: Requiem]!"**

Various magic circles were formed around her, and [Phantoms] wreathed in flames come flying out, all of them wailing in agony.

"GRIMM!" I cried out over the ghastly arias of the [Undead]. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?"

**"Oh my god..."** Grimm _panicked_.** "Their screams... IT'S TOO MUCH!"**

I then took a quick glance at them.

"... All of them..." I shuddered. "They're all wearing similar clothes to her..."

**"You dare mock my homeland's demise, you cur."** Glass's voice echoed in my mind.** "Now taste the hell that I've suffered as retribution for your mockery."**

**"[Wrath Stance ****Aria****: Hell's Verdict-Eternal Torment]!"**

... All I heard for the _last_ ten seconds of my _life_ was absolutely _nothing_ as my brain melted out of my ears.

**Switching POV: Alpha**

Outside, the fighting raged on as she was crafting [Effigies].

"Let's see..." She stated while looking through the instructions. "In order for the [Effigy] to work, a biological component of a living being must be added. Like hair or anything from a functioning body..."

She then looks at the sink, where a single strand of her master's beard was at.

"I wonder if this counts..." She remarked.

She then presses the strand of beard down on the clay and flesh doll.

The doll absorbs it, and instantly hardens.

"It worked!" She cried out. "It worked-"

The [Effigy] explodes into terra-cotta shrapnel.

"... At least it worked." Alpha remarked.

From the other side of the [Archive] Chi came out.

"Alpha!" He cried out. "We need you out, STAT!"

She then grabs her [Death Scythe] and heads outside into the battlefield.

**Switching POV: Byakko**

"... Master?" The albino butler spoke out.

Wyndia shoots a [Slug Shell] towards the cephalopod before reloading.

"Where're you going!?" Rio cried out as she stabbed the [Kraken Zombie]'s tentacle.

The albino then finds the entire upper deck completely filled to the brim with flame-wreathed [Phantoms], all of them wearing similar-looking garbs to the woman named Glass...

... And all of them, wailing at his master's body.

"MASTER!" Byakko roared out as he charges towards the [Tormented Phantoms].

**"Who are you?"** Glass spoke to the [Homunculus]. **"You're the one who healed him prior, correct?"**

Byakko draws his knives.

**"Kill him."**

The [Phantoms] come swarming towards the butler.

"[High-Healing]!" Byakko tosses his [Medic's Scalpels] into the air right before drawing his [Cleric's Cane] and begins to fire his healing magic towards the [Undead].

Unlike Glass, the [Phantoms] were registered as "dead", so healing magic registers as indirect damage.

In a few short moments, all of the [Tormented Phantoms] were vanished.

"Hm, I guess that's what they call a 'worf effect'." Byakko stated as he caught back all of his knives.

He then faces back towards his master, now broken in mind and body.

However, Grimm himself was still alive.

"MASTER!" Byakko cried out.

He then kneels down and begins to heal him.

**"He'll be fine."** Grimm stated.** "Somehow, he just died, but at the same time, he's not."**

"What do you mean!?" Byakko pointed out.

**"Just trust me."** Grimm stated.** "Can you hold her off?"**

The butler finds himself facing against even more [Phantoms], all of them vile as the previous.

"... I'll need some help." The butler stated. "Are you able to provide?"

**"Nah."** Grimm responded.** "But _they _can."**

From his pages, Strelitzia, Forbidden, Raider, and Doppio appeared, with Rubicante, Suzaku, Seiryu, Wyndia, Rio, and Gaelion (still in his [Wyvern Emperor] form) providing additional numerical force.

**"I WON'T LET KILL DARLING!"** Strelitzia cried out.** "NOT IF I CAN HELP IT!"**

Raider primes its volley guns as Forbidden charges its chest cannon.

**"Thy service to thy sultan has not reached completion."** Rubicante stated.** "Thy finish thy duty to thy last spark of thy flames."**

"Master's made of stronger stuff than this." Seiryu pointed out as she drew her [Rune Slayer]. "It'll take more than a few scares to take him out!"

"What my sister said." Suzaku spoke out as he swung his [Heat Nail] around. "If you want master, then you're going to have get past us!"

"He's my family!" Wyndia screamed out. "I'm not losing another!" She cried out in tandem with Gaelion's roar.

"He's our only hope of making sense of this nonsensical world." Rio addressed as she brandished her [Chokutō]. "I won't let you take him from us, no buts!"

Glass's grip around her [Wrath Fan 3]s tighten along with her already-diminished patience.

**"So you all dare to oppose me, mere monsters and accomplices alike."** Glass growled out.

None falter as they form a wall between the [Wrath]-induced [Phantom Fan Saint] and her army of [Phantoms].

**"THEN YOU CAN ALL SHARE A GRAVE!"**

The [Phantoms] and the [Tome Fallen]'s [Summons] come at each other.

**"EVERYONE!"** Grimm barked out. **"HOLD THE LINE!"**

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

My head was too groggy to form a coherent thought.

My eyes couldn't register a clear image.

My ears couldn't pick up a single note of sound.

Mainly because of the fact that I'm dead.

... But at the same time, I'm not.

"Hello?" I called out into the complete darkness. "Is anyone home!?"

... My eyes barely make out a... _text box_?

**[Hey dickbiscuit.]**

**[You still alive and kicking?]**

... If this is hell. then I now officially believe in god.

In that god is a complete a-hole.

"Yep, I'm alive." I mumbled out. "... I think."

**[I swear, if I didn't know you, I'd call you a smartass.]**

"Hi pot, I'm kettle." I snarked.

**[... Touche.]**

The darkness goes quiet for a moment.

"... So, unreasonable as it sounds, can I go back?" I asked.

The text box then responds.

**[... You do realizing that what you're about to do is going to cause more trouble later down the line, right?]**

"... You know, avoiding trouble in this kind of water is just as probable as avoiding physical contact with oxygen and escaping gravity simultaneously, right?" I pointed out. "And besides..."

Upon regaining my sense of touch, I brush my hair upwards.

"... Running into trouble is what I'm good at, and it's the only way that'll I'll adapt to this hellhole of an isekai world." I stated.

The text box responds.

**[... The worst part?]**

**[You have a point, despite you being so demented.]**

"Eh, gotta keep myself sane somehow." I pointed out. "... Can I go back?"

**[Only if you don't die.]**

"I tasted death once, BB." I stated. "I do not plan to have a second helping."

The text box talks to me again.

**[Alright.]**

**[I'll enjoy watching you and your endeavors.]**

My vision then begins to grow brighter...

... As the scent of blood and brimstone yanks me awake.

**"KID!"**

"AGH! I'M ALIVE!" I cried out in surprise.

I then look ahead, like Ramirez from Modern Warfare, only to wake up to find my whole surroundings as a complete warzone.

"Okay, Grimm, feed me." I stated while crouching down for safety. "How long was I out? And what happened during that time!?"

I then take a look at Glass and her [Wrath Fan 3].

"... Nevermind, nothing changed much." I stated. "Better get back out there..."

A pain in my chest and head urr me.

**"You want me to help you up?"** Grimm asked.

I nod as his chains pulled my right arm up.

**"... So how was the near-death experience?"** Grimm asked while pulling me up.

"Questions later." I replied. "We've got the Ring to finish."

I crack my neck as I've approached the enraged Glass.

"Sup, not dead yet." I greeted.

Glass stops what she was doing and redirects her attention towards me.

**"You."** She spoke out in a ghastly tone. **"How are you still alive?"**

"... Had to take a guess." I stated right before spitting out a wad of blood.

I then flip her off.

"I'm a grade A badass."

... Is it possible for a [Phantom]'s teeth to _crack_?

**"Die." **

She then gathers up the [Phantoms] around her right before she unleashes it back towards me...

**"Die, die, die, DIE!"**

... While quoting Reaper's Ult.

"Any suggestions!?" I asked out over the cacophony of ghastly wails.

"Healing magic, now!" Byakko yelled out.

We both then do ghostbusting.

"[High-Healing]!"

"[Dritte-High-Healing]!"

The flash of green light then despel the blazing [Phantoms] out of the material world.

"I must ask..." I asked Glass.

She continues to glare at me.

"... These [Phantoms] that you've called upon." I continued. "They're the memories of your loved ones, ain't it?"

**"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"** Glass screeched out. **"JUST WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO SPEAK OF MY FALLEN KIN!?"**

"... I don't." I replied. "I have no right to do so."

**"THEN WHY DO YOU CONTINUE TO SPITE ME!? DESPITE YOU BEING COMPLETELY POWERLESS TO OPPOSE ME!?" **She responded with tears of desperation from her ruby-red eyes.

"... Two mistakes in that statement, sweetheart." I pointed out. "First of all, if you call what I'm doing 'spiting', then I can assure you, I'm barely scratching the surface." I stated. "Second, I must ask..."

I then point out to all of my party, [Summon] and member alike.

"... Do you call _this_, powerless?" I shot back. "Because as far as I'm concerned, you're getting your temper the best of you, which is supposed to be the [Shield Hero]'s schtick, but either example, when put into greater context, is entirely justified."

**"... I want an answer."** Glass declared.** "I'm only sparing you so that I may hear what you have to say."**

"Then here it is..." I continued.

"... I do not give a crap."

My words were rooted from the five following thoughts:

Apathy.

Pessimism.

Resignation.

Boredom.

Disappointment.

Impatience.

**"[Sloth Text]."**

Time to fight [Fire] with [Water].

**[Enter Command]**

**[Waterfall Basin]**

A crushing waterfall slams down upon Glass's petite frame, pressing her down like a lead weight tossed onto her back.

**"... DAMN YOU!" **

Her flames then vaporize my waterfall.

**"I WILL NOT LEAVE YOUR INSULTS UNANSWERED-"**

**"Yawn."**

**[Bubble Cage]**

She was now completely submerged into a massive orb of water, struggling to breath in the increasing water pressure.

**"Huh. I guess even [Spiritual] beings drown."**

**[Hydraulic Harriers]**

**"Bored now. Time to die."**

Blades of water form inside Glass's aquatic coffin like a lamprey's rows of teeth, as it begins to shred her garb and skin alike, slowly dying the water red.

"GLASS!"

"... And here come the new challengers."

Crashing onto the decks, a tall and buff red-haired man with a [Sacred Scythe] cuts the bubble open, freeing the [Phantom Fan Saint], while his aquamarine-haired female compatriot heals the [Phantom]'s wounds, both physical, and psychological.

**L'Arc Berg**

**Total bro (Nothing personal)**

**Therese Alexandrite**

**Beauty in the eye of the beholder (And looks the part)**

**"Welcome, [Scythe Saint] and female companion/love interest."**

L'Arc glares at me with the utmost ferocity, his rage stemming from me _nigh-mutilating_ his friend.

**"I've been expecting you."**

**Switching POV: Naofumi**

After almost falling to his and his party's death, Naofumi and Raphtalia, both riding on Filo, dashing towards Lute Village, since the ship and the boss was now a lost cause.

Mainly because Nan might've killed it under 5 seconds.

All they can do now is do what they can-

"MASTER NAOFUMI!" Raphtalia cried out. "LOOK UP!"

The ghost ship was still there, yes (albeit, on fire).

... So when the hell was there _another_?

"... I don't think that's another ghost ship." Naofumi stated.

"So what do we do!?" The raccoon girl cried out.

"Shore up on Lute Village." He responded. "FILO! LET'S MOVE!"

"Yes master!"

The [Filolial Queen] picks up speed.

**Switching POV: Palomar ****Polnareff**

**"You've got balls coming up to my domain once more, [Dark Architect]."**

The _l' Tempête_'s crew were running about, carrying munitions, and readying their guns as Palomar strolled about, keeping vigil on the [Phantom Ship].

One crewmen, with the dog tag labeled "Adler, Jean", comes up to the armored captain, and salutes him.

**"Report."**

**"Broadside guns A to D are ready, captain."** Jean informed.** "Which shells to fire, captain?" **

Palomar then picks up a ruby-colored muntion shell.

**"[Hellfire Shells], a single volley would do."** Palomar ordered.** "Relay order, fire on my command." **

**"_Oui capitaine_." **

The message has been passed, and the cannons then appear from the ship's sides.

**"Gun ports A to D, loaded."** An officer stated.

**"Fire."**

The guns fire towards the dilapidated husk of a ship in an arc of flames.

_**"Now let's see if you can survive this..."**_

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

... It happened too quickly.

The stale hulls of the [Phantom Ship] was torn to bits before my eyes, sending everyone overboard, my whole party included.

"... This is gonna hurt." I stated.

**"FORGET THAT!"** Grimm cried out. **"ABANDON SHIP!"**

We all jump off of the [Phantom Ship] as it lights up into flames.

My whole party gets on Gaelion's back in his [Dragon Emperor] form, and I see L'Arc transform his [Sacred Scythe] into [Tornado Scythe], casting [Funnel Cloud Cage] to slow his party of three's fall.

And during that time, I [Analyze] the two.

**Name: [L'Arc Berg]**

**Class: [Scythe Saint]**

**Level: 48**

**Affinities: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipement: [Sacred Scythe], [Reaver's Braced Platings], [Obsidian Handwraps], [Mark of the Black Panther]**

**Attack: 58 (+150)**

**Defense: 50 (+75)**

**Agility: 51 (+50)**

**Luck: 50**

**HP: 700 (+150)**

**MP: 400 (+150)**

**Name: [Theresa Alexandrite]**

**Class: [Magus]**

**Level: 47**

**Affinities: [Fire], [Water], [Wind], & [Earth]**

**Alignment: Neutral Good**

**Equipement: [Holy Aquamarine Cane of the Sea Sage], [War Cleric's Leather Armor], [Sacred Gemstones of Holy Healing], [Sacred Gemstones of Divine Smiting]**

**Attack: 61 (+100)**

**Defense: 41 (+35)**

**Agility: 45 (+25)**

**Luck: 59 (+100)**

**HP: 400 (+50)**

**MP: 700 (+400)**

**"So..."** I called out while still high on my [Sloth Text]. **"... We cool?"**

"YOU NEARLY KILLED MY FRIEND, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" L'Arc roared back.

**"Well, yeah, but she was kinda of an asshole about it."** I bit back. **"One question, who told you to go after the [Shield Hero]?"**

"WHY SHOULD WE EVEN TELL YOU!?" L'Arc shouted back.

**"... There are over hundred excuses that I could spout out, but right now, I can't think of one." **I admitted.

Before we could continue with our conversation, the [Phantom Ship] and the [Kraken Zombie] crash into a village's square in a flaming heap of mess.

**"Alright, which village did I set fire to..."** I mumbled as I looked over the edge.

... This village looks way too familiar.

And the worst part?

I haven't visited this village personally.

**"... Oh shit, this Naofumi's stomping ground."** I groaned out as I cowered back.

Fuck it, time to improvise.

**"HEY DICKWADS!"** I cried out towards the [Scythe Saint] and his party.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT!?" He barked out.

**"YOU WANNA FIND THE [Shield Hero]!?"** I barked out.** "WELL HE PRACTICALLY LIVES HERE, SO UPON LANDING, GO OPEN SEASON!"**

... In hindsight, this is not my first time throwing Naofumi under the bus, but in my defense, I'm making good on my claim on the grounds of me not tasting death twice in a row.

I then see the three heads towards the other way (presumably, where Naofumi and the others were at).

Finally we can go home-

*WRHAM*

... Oh right, Palomar and his Calamity Gundam.

The beam shot a hole through Gaelion's wings, causing us to lose altitude extremely quickly.

**"Strelitzia! Gaelion! Recall!" **

The [Dryad] and the [Wyvern Emperor] return into Grimm's pages, and in place, I [Summon] Ishmael, Forbidden, Raider, and Appi to my side.

Rubicante catches Wyndia in his arms, Forbidden and Raider catch Seiryu and Suzaku, Ishmael catches Rio, Byakko, and Genbu, and Appi picks me up by her talons.

"Alright." I released from my [Sloth Text], feeling delirious afterwards. "... Give me a moment."

*BLEGH*

"... I'm good." I mumbled. "Land, now."

We all then hit our feet around the village set ablaze by the [Phantom Ship]'s wreckage.

... The scent of rotting calamari did not help soothe my feeling of disappointment of not being able to [Capture] the [Phantom Ship] (I was gonna name it Depp).

"This day..." I moaned out. "... Cannot get any worse."

I then feel something nudging my right arm.

It was Rio, who was now pointing upwards.

**(9:02)**

**Name: [High-Performance Aerial Automaton Type δ]**

**Class: [Rare Encounter]**

**Level: 59**

**Affinities: [Wind] & [Lightning]**

**Alignment: Lawful Evil**

**Item Drops: [Quad-Mana Reactor] (55%), [Advanced Magic Ore x10] (20%)**

**Attack: 56 (+50)**

**Defense: 55 (+50)**

**Agility: 35 (+50)**

**Luck: 0 (+50)**

**HP: 700 (+150)**

**MP: 700 (+150)**

"... Brilliant."

That was all I can say right before it starts firing all of mana cannons all over Lute Village during its descent, like if it thinks that it's a discount _Psycho Gundam_.

"Master?" I heard Byakko. "Your orders?"

I crack my neck to the side and spit out a wad of blood to my side.

"... KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!"

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **... Uh oh.

About [Affixes]:

**[Powerful]: **+20 boost to all of its stats.

**[Excited]: **50% chance to perform [Double Action] (chance to follow-up with an additional attack after landing the former).

**[Vengeful]: **Upon defeat, deal damage to the target that dealt the finishing blow proportionate to the HP it lost from offensive attacks (recovery magic will not be registered as damage).

**[Tormented]: **Deals additional damage to targets proportal to their HP difference with the target's; 300% additional damage taken when hit by healing magic.

**[High-Performance]: **+50 and +150 to all of its base stats for 10 minutes.

**Also, IRL notes:**

Met him on 28 July, 2019 at UCLA's Hospital, and suffice to say, nothing but good news.

My dad's chemotherapy was a success, and now he's standing, walking, _mostly_ eating, and best of all, he ain't bald.

* * *

_**Stat Updates (Current Party):**_

* * *

**Name: [Hero Hunter] [Nan Hon-Jah]**

**Class: [Tome Fallen]**

**Level: 63**

**Affinites: [All Eight Elements]**

**Alignment: Neutral Evil**

**Equipment: [Forbidden Tome, Grimm the Heretic], [Necromancer's Robes], [Mire Boots], [Wight's Rune of Spite], [Silver Wolf's Maw], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Visage of Madness], [Geas: Mind Diver], [Portable Dragon's Hourglass]**

**Attack: 75 (+135)**

**Defense: 72 (+10)**

**Agility: 71 (+75)**

**Luck: 68 (+85)**

**HP: 580 (+45)**

**MP: 690 (+175)**

* * *

**Name: [Rino]**

**Class: [Slave Assassin]**

**Level: 60**

**Affinites: [Earth]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Brave Compound Bow], [Spark Dagger], [Steel Throwing Knives x20], [Assassin's Cloak], [Shadow Mufflers], [Silent Step Sandals]**

**Attack: 58 (+80)**

**Defense: 35 (+10)**

**Agility: 77 (+120)**

**Luck: 77 (+90)**

**HP: 320 (+40)**

**MP: 270 (+40)**

* * *

**Name: [Wyndia]**

**Class: [Predator]**

**Level: 47**

**Affinites: [Fire] & [Wind]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Evil**

**Equipment: [Dragoon Pike****], [Bulletstorm], [Espar Robes], [Visage of Scorn], [Fog Gloves], [Demonic Rune of Bloodlust]**

**Attack: 55 (+150)**

**Defense: 43 (-20)**

**Agility: 56 (+100)**

**Luck: 25 (-25)**

**HP: 380 (-50)**

**MP: 250 (+100)**

* * *

**Name: [Seiryu]**

**Class: [Tyrera Queen Spell Fencer]**

**Level: 49**

**Affinites: [Water]**

**Alignment: True Neutral**

**Equipment: [Rune Slayer], [Barbarian Armor], [Barbarian Helm], [Berserk Rune], [Berserker's Mantle], [Chimera Teeth Necklace]**

**Attack: 56 (+125)**

**Defense: 54 (+55)**

**Agility: 29 (+20)**

**Luck: 27 (-10)**

**HP: 590 (+250)**

**MP: 210 (+65)**

* * *

**Name: [Byakko]**

**Class: [Hermit]**

**Level: 48**

**Affinites: [Fire], [Lightning], [Light]**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Equipment: [Medic's Scalpels], [Cleric's Cane], [Faithful Suit], [Blessed Silver Bracer Platings], [Field Medic's Utility Belt]**

**Attack: 48 (+20)**

**Defense: 46 (+100)**

**Agility: 54 (+30)**

**Luck: 43 (+50)**

**HP: 410 (+120)**

**MP: 410 (+120)**

* * *

**Name: [Suzaku]**

**Class: [Filolial King Adventurer]**

**Level: 47**

**Affinites: [Fire]**

**Alignment: True Neutral**

**Equipment: [Heat Nail], [Vermilion Robes], [Rouge's Cowl], [Mark of the Apex Predator], [Celestial Rune of Protection], [Mark of the Shadow Dancer], [Mark of the Apostle]**

**Attack: 68 (+120)**

**Defense: 20 (+15)**

**Agility: 93 (+70)**

**Luck: 76 (+40)**

**HP: 120 (+40)**

**MP: 120 (+40)**

* * *

**Name: [Rio Murasame]**

**Class: [Slave Swordmaster]**

**Level: 55**

**Affinites: [Water]**

**Alignment: True Neutral**

**Equipment: [****Chokutō****], [Salamander Scale Mail], [Wanderer's Cloak], [Crimson Armwraps], [Visage of Silence]**

**Attack: 67 (+120)**

**Defense: 59 (+70)**

**Agility: 62 (+70)**

**Luck: 34 (+95)**

**HP: 570 (+50)**

**MP: 300 (+20)**

* * *

**Name: [Genbu]**

**Class: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Affinites: None**

**Alignment: ?**

**Equipment: [Wayward Nomad's Garbs], [Silver Pocket Watch & Chain], [Silver Shortsword], [Silver Buckler], [Fafnir's Flametongue]**

**Attack: ?**

**Defense: ?**

**Agility: ?**

**Luck: 9,999**

**HP: ?**

**MP: ?**

* * *

So how is this Epic?

And how will Naofumi react upon figuring out that the [Tome Fallen] was directly responsible for setting Lute Village on fire?

Leave a comment or a review, for I'd love to hear what my audiences are thinking!


	19. Epic 19: The Menace Part Finale

**_Continuing self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_Waiting for Season 2..._**

**_Finger Count: 5/10_**

**_Eye Count: 2/2_**

**_Sanity Meter: 52%_**

**_Death Counter: 1_**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

_**Epic 19: The Menace Part Finale**_

* * *

"DUCK!"

We all hit the ground to dodge the beams from Calamity.

We all sprawl off of the earth as we then try to find cover.

"... Geez, even Reb Brown wasn't this trigger happy." I mumbled behind the house's wreckage. "But then again, Calamity was piloted by a Biological CPU, and those guys weren't the sanest of people even after being hopped up on drugs."

Calamity wasn't even aiming anymore.

"It's destroying everything in its path!" Rio cried out over the fire.

I then saw Calamity pull out a [Panzerfaust] from its back and pointed towards us.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!"

The rocket whizzes by us, exploding into flames in front of us.

"What the hell was that!?" Wynida breathed out in panic.

"... Warfare." I replied. "This was the kind of shit that I gotten myself into, and I intend to take full responsibility for us getting into this mess."

"Then your orders, master?" Byakko coolly stated.

I slap my own face, and keep myself awake.

"... Don't die." I ordered. "Let's move."

We all break from the covers amongst the fire raining down upon us.

"Okay, here's the main objective." I stated while running. "Calamity there ain't gonna stop firing until everything here is dead on its feet, but however, it seems relatively unfocused, just shooting things at random."

"A boon and a bane." Rio stated. "Bosses back at SAO that were like that were often either painfully easy, or borderline lethal."

"Like Sheeptar?" I pointed out.

"Unlike that Xenomorph reject, it ain't spawning younglings and is completely stationary." She stated. "So long range attacks might be a good idea."

"So magic?" I asked.

"Still not used to the fact that you essentially watched my death game experience from the Hero of Aincrad's point of view, let alone the fact that my world is fiction to yours." Rio stated.

"Hey, what matters is the here and now." I shot back. "Wyndia, how many [Slug Shells] do you have left?"

"I'm down to my last three!" She cried out while reloading.

"Then make it count, otherwise, we're all going to die." I stated. "Let's try this."

I pivot around a house, and shoot a [Dritte-Fireball].

The blazing projectile explodes, but Calamity emerges unscathed due to a prism-like barrier around it.

"OH COME ON!" I cried out. "AN _I-FIELD_!? YOU CHEAP FUCK!"

I get the hell out of dodge as it continues to fire upon me.

"Okay..." I sighed out. "... We need a better plan other then 'go in and kill random shit'."

"... For someone savvy in anime, video games, manga, and literature, you're quite feckless, aren't you?" Rio pointed out.

"Bite me, this ain't Gun Gale." I stated. "This shit's for real, and therefore, speed is paramount to modern-day combat."

I then open Grimm's pages for formulating any possible plans of attack.

"... Haven't done this shit in a while." I muttered. "But let's do this shit..."

I then sink into the building's shadow with [Shadow Dive].

"... Yep." I stated. "Definitely like swimming underwater..."

This is like a workout...

... But if I stick my head out, I'll die.

Again.

**Switching POV: Naofumi**

"WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL!?"

Behind Naofumi and his party were a trio that consists of a blue-haired woman with leather breastplate and white garbs, a red-haired man with a massive sickle in a sleeveless red top with a single silver shoulder pad, and a woman in a dark-violet kimono with equally-looking dark fans.

In his arm was the [Wyrmwing Shield], blocking the flaming specters and rubble hurled towards them.

All three of them, trying to kill _him_, specifically.

"RAPHTALIA!" Naofumi barked out. "KEEP RUNNING!"

The raccoon-girl was now riding on Filo, with her picking up her master onto the [Filolial Queen]'s back.

Around them, the village that acted as their bastion was now burning to the ground, completely helpless to do anything about it, and once again, Naofumi was on the verge of losing everything that he cares about once again.

_"Damn..."_ Naofumi cursed internally._ "Why am I just running when the people that cared for me are dying?"_

Monsters and the flames of that kimono-clad female alike were consuming everything around him.

_"Damn it..."_

The flames begin to draw closer towards them.

_"Damn it..._

The cacophonic screams of agony and death began to echo_ louder_ into his very soul.

_"Damn it..."_

His vision only perceives nothing short of **HELL**.

**"... DAMN IT!"**

Then all noise dies around him, as all color turns monochrome, and all of touch nulled.

**[About damn time, you bastard.]**

Behind Naofumi was _himself_.

"Who... WHO ARE YOU!?" He barked out at his reflection.

The other "Naofumi" raises his head, his eyes glowing menacingly in bright topaz-yellow, piercing his very soul.

... Or can this "Naofumi" be his very own soul?

**[I am known by as many things. Heartless, Nobody, Inversed, Haunted, Lost, Corrupted, Shadow, but you know what?]**

The dark reflection teleports right in front of him, its unblinking eyes and crazed grin in full view directly in front of Naofumi's face.

**[Let's cut the formalities right there and just say that I'm here to help, alright?]**

"THEN HOW!?" He barked out. "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DEFEND EVERYTHING MYSELF LIKE THIS!?"

The "Naofumi" grins.

**[Just follow my lead.]**

The shadow merges with his own body, implanting him with unimaginable power, but pulsating with so much negative energy that he might vomit.

The same negative energy that he felt surging through him when Nan stabbed him that very night.

**[Wrath Shield 2] upgraded into [Wrath Shield 3]**

Naofumi finds himself back in reality again, and everything still on fire.

He then remembers a certain image from the sky.

Nan falling right next to the blazing ship that crashed upon Lute Village.

_**[It's all his fault.]**_

_**[This will not go unanswered.]**_

"Master?" Naofumi heard Raphtalia.

**"... We're going in."** Naofumi spoke out.** "Are you with me?"**

[Wrath Shield 3] was now in his hands.

"... Yes master!" She responded.

Naofumi bites down his teeth.

**"... Don't die."**

He then jumps off of Filo's back, with Raphtalia right behind him.

**"[Wrath Shield 3]!"**

The [Wyrmwing Shield] then transforms into a dark, dragon-themed shield emitting black, purgatorial flames.

**"[Hell Aura-****Thermopylae Enomotia]!"**

Multiple copies of Naofumi and Raphtalia, all of them crafted in flames, rushed towards the three unknown enemies as their own party were now emitting an intimidating aura as they now ran towards the three enemies.

The three were then stopped by the torrent, with the lady in the kimono stopping fanning Naofumi's flames away from her with her own.

**"I don't care whoever the hell you three are..."** Naofumi and his copies snarled out in perfect unison. **"But if you ever dare lay hands on the things I hold dear..."**

Pitch-black flames then begin to spew out of the edges of his shield, as black armor with dragon-like features encase his body, with both Raphtalia and Filo both having pieces of the same black armor donned onto their bodies, both of them emitting the same aura.

The dragon-like wings on his shield spread out as walls of hellfire were erected around his whole party and their infernal copies.

**"THEN PREPARE TO SINK INTO THE DEPTHS OF HELL, YOU BASTARDS!"**

The two opposing army of flames come flying towards each other like moths to a flame, with each spark burning out the other in a display of demonic fireworks.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

... I can now sympathize with with war veterans now.

Because they had to deal with this kind of shit everyday in the line of duty, all because of the jackass bigwigs in the upper echelon.

... I might get PTSD later on, but considering what kind of world that I'm in, I'm more surprised that it took me this far to get it.

I'm wasting time, and frankly, I don't think Calamity is gonna run out of ammo anytime soon (the [Panzerfaust]s, on the the other hand, they're out, and thank god).

I then saw the timer on top of Calamity's name hit zero, which, I do not know what that means, but it's better than nothing!

"Just a little further..." I spoke out. "Just a little further..."

I was literally right next to the Calamity's heels.

"Need to take it down..." I stated. "Just its legs, its legs..."

I stick my hand out.

"[Spectrum Strike]!"

I destroy its right leg with my open right hand, causing it to dip over to the right, misfiring its [Tempest Blast] elsewhere.

"IT'S DOWN!" I cried out as I emerged from the shadows, with Grimm's maw wide open.

"[Capture]!"

We encase the one-legged Gundam into the [Forbidden Tome]'s pages.

"Nan!" I heard the others.

"PIN IT DOWN, HURRY!" I cried out as I body-slammed Grimm to hold in the struggling Calamity.

My whole party then dogpiles on top of me, weighing down the Gundam.

"[Aerial Automaton Type δ], added to [Summon]." My HUD announced.

"Alright, everyone off."

We all splay on the scorched earth lifelessly.

"... I hate today." I moaned out. "And not because I lost a level during my [Sloth Text]."

Yeah. After using that, the aftereffects of that [Cursed Series] was extreme fatigue, which, makes sense, since you know, [Sloth Text].

"... Master, I suggest that we cease dawdling." Byakko pointed out.

"Agreed."

I then stand up and summon Ishmael to my side while dismissing Rubicante to avoid causing more collateral damage.

**"This one requires your orders."** Ishmael stated.

"... Make sure that no civilians are found dead." I stated. "Strelitzia, that goes for you too."

**"Got it darling!"** She chirped out.

**"No calamity shall befall upon the innocent."** Ishmael declared.

"Happy hunting." I stated as we parted.

We then continue to run through the fire and the flames, and amidst the blaze, we found the [Three Cardinal Heroes] fighting off several [Werepanthers] and two towering [Ogre Guardians], both wielding a pair of massive [Thorn Tower Shields], their spiny surfaces caked in blood, their armored heels surrounded by corpses of various women.

"... You know." I stated as me and party were hiding behind a wrecked house. "I know that Motoyasu is meant to be hated, but the universe itself is in on it too?"

"You say that like if its a bad thing." Rino pointed out. "I mean, you did technically slaughter a whole village one time."

"True, but in hindsight, they didn't deserve such fate." I protested. "They had to die because they didn't know better."

"I stand corrected." Rino stated unopposed. "You damn hypocrite."

"And they call me cold-blooded..." I muttered out right before Motoyasu faceplants next to my party.

"... YOU!" He cried out when he faced me.

"Watch your six, dumbass."

A [Werepanther] pounces upon him like a starved animal, foam and bile spat upon his face amidst the struggle.

"RINO! RINO!" Motoyasu cried out instinctively. "HELP ME! HELP ME!"

She smiles smugly.

"No."

... Just like DIO during his rampage across Cario, made even more fitting as the [Spear Hero] was now screaming like the little bitch he is.

An arrow grazes past my cheek and hits the wood next to me.

"Sup, Itsuki." I called out over Motoyasu's screaming. "... You mind hitting the [Werepanther] instead?"

"WHY SHOULD I LISTEN TO THE LIKES OF YOU!?" He cried out.

"Because unlike me, those guys around are actively trying to shank your ass, whereas I only do it around... 80% of the time." I admitted.

"80% IS STILL TOO MUCH-"

He was then cut off by Ren landing on him.

"REN!" Rio ran towards him.

She then picks him up from the [Bow Hero]'s body.

"... Rio!?" Ren cried out. "Wh-WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?"

"Long story buddy." I spoke out. "All you need to know is that she is in good hands."

"... I don't believe you." He stated.

"Do you have to take for a complete monster?" I asked.

"YES!" All three of them stated in unison.

"... You wound me." I replied. "Well, good luck assholes. But first..."

I then look towards the two [Ogre Guardians].

"... Shylock demands his pound of flesh." I stated while failing to quote Shakespeare properly. "Suzaku, Seiryu, kick that guy's ass."

Seiryu busts out her [Rune Slayer]'s mana blade form, with Suzaku mounted on her back as she dashes towards the two [Ogres].

The [Ogre Guardian] slams its tower shield towards the two. Suzaku dismounts and mounts on the [Thorn Tower Shield]'s rim, while Seiryu slides under the spiked bunker.

I then spot the other [Ogre Guardian] heading towards its compatriot.

"Wyndia!"

She then mounts on top of Gaelion's [Wyvern Emperor] form, take air, and facehugs the other [Ogre Guardian] after dismounting.

"EAT LEAD, BIG BASTARD!"

She shoves her [Bulletstorm] into its mouth, and unloads the remaining three rounds into its gullet, causing it to explode into bits of shattered skull and gray matter.

Then the headless [Ogre Guardian] timbers over, and falls upon the crawling Malty's legs with a sickening crunch.

"Eh, on the plus side, at least she won't be able to leave the bed, amirite, Moto-chan!?" I called out.

The [Spear Hero] throws the [Werepanther] off of his body, right before using [Hundred Javelin] to finish it off (and me copied said skill).

"My work here is done." I stated as Seiryu cut off both of the [Ogre Guardian]'s legs off, allowing me to [Capture] it without a shred of resistance (its name was now Barb). "Let's move."

"I'll see you soon, Ren!" I heard Rio.

"RIO! RIO!"

Ren's futile pleas died out amidst the cacophony of chaos.

"... You seem pretty chill." I pointed out towards Rio.

"What the hell did you do to him?" She asked.

"... I've might've committed a massacre of his entire party right in front of him." I stated. "But in my defense, they were racist assholes who tried to oust Wyndia into slavery after he was played to kill Gaelion."

Rio then faces Wyndia, the dog-girl and the [Hatchling Emperor] nods.

"... What the hell's wrong with this world?" Rio gasped out in horror. "Why would he side with them?"

"I dunno, he ain't the only one that thinks that this whole place is SAO." I stated. "Without permadeath, mind you."

"Di-Did Ren lose a few brain cells upon being transported into this world!?" Rio spat out in disbelief.

"To be fair, you got your fair dose of reality upon landing, whereas he and the other two that you just saw had everything handed to them on a silver platter." I pointed out. "Although, to be fair, their current intelligence stat is barely above average by the standards of this world."

"So they adopted to this 15th-century mindset like clockwork?" Rio asked.

"Unfortunately." I sighed out. "All the more reason to slap their asses awake hard as possible."

"Do you really have to be that cruel?" Rio pointed out.

"In fairness, they're too dumb to listen to reason." I stated. "After all, 15th century, remember?"

"... When you put it like that, it's honestly kind of depressing." Rio stated.

"Name one thing that you find not depressing here." I stated. "And no, just because it's in hindsight, doesn't mean that it doesn't count."

"Um, master?" I heard Byakko.

"Talk to me."

"I suggest looking ahead." He stated.

And sure enough, I get faceplanted by Glass's face, hitting my head onto the dirt, almost blacking out from the impact.

"Hey pretty lady." I called out to Glass on top of me.

**"I don't think you're her type, kiddo."** Grimm snidely remarked.** "Especially after what you did to her."**

Next to me, L'Arc and Theresa ate the dirt.

"Alright, who's at fault?" I moaned out as I honked out a splash of blood from my slightly broken nose.

I then suddenly feel the temperature around us spike.

"... Crapbaskets, _he_ figured it out, didn't he?"

And lo and behold, I, being the complete idiot I am, accidently unlocked Naofumi's [Wrath Shield 3], several months _early_.

"On the plus side, I don't he's learned that yet-"

**"[Blood Sacrifice]."**

... Me and my big mouth.

Time to improvise.

"[Spellcraft-Fusion]!"

[Deny Aura]+[Full Coating]+[Nil Coating]+[Shield Prison]+[Iron Aura]=[Perfect Guard Aura]

Come bear trap from the depths of hell, come lots of excess blood loss.

... I can't even make out my own cries of agony as both teeth and flames alike dug into my flesh and bone as my HP bar held out barely enough for me to survive.

Still dizzy from the blood loss, but whole body was intact, and my HP was almost cut in half.

But fortunately, the [Wave] was nigh-subsiding, and Naofumi's party were now all petered out, falling unconscious, so no one got hurt too badly.

Although my physical state in the aftermath was left a lot to be desired, even after Byakko's [High-Healing] (broken ribs mending back together on their own is a bitch).

"... Heal him too." I groaned out. "I need him alive."

The albino butler heals the bleeding out [Shield Hero]'s party.

"Heal them too." I pointed towards Glass's party.

L'Arc then speaks to me as he was being healed.

"... Why?" He gasped out.

"Later." I stated as I rummaged through Grimm's insides. "Right now, we need to go elsewhere."

I then throw down all of the [Smoke Pellets] I have covering our vision.

"[Teleport]."

... I could now only leave it up to fate to ensure that they all survive of what's to come.

**Switching POV: Alpha**

"And that's the last of them!"

Alpha swings her [Death Scythe] down upon the downed [Hobgoblin].

"Chi!" Alpha cried out. "How is it on your end!?"

Several sounds of gunfire were heard.

"All dead." Chi stated as he brushed up his hair.

Behind them, a [Berserk Bicorn] charges towards them.

"You two, get down!"

Beta swings her [Thunder Coil Mace] across the ram-horned equine's face, knocking it out cold.

"Oi, Beta." Chi called out. "Why aren't you killing them?" He stated as he pulled back his gun's hammer.

"Just something I thought I'd try." She stated as she slung the [Bicorn] over her shoulder atop of the two that she already had on her back. "Horses make good sources of transportation, so I thought I surprise master a little."

"If he gets mad, it's on you." Chi stated as he walked towards where the Hakuko family were at.

A flash of light was shone right between the three [Perfected Homunculus], and out of it were their master's party and three additional people.

"Hey..." Their master's voice called out in a hoarse tone.

"MASTER!" Both Alpha and Beta cried out as they caught his falling body.

"... Get them all inside." He gritted out. "... Hurry."

The two maids then guide the party back into the cavern, where everyone else were at.

... Including the casualties.

"... How many?" Nan spoke out weakly.

"... About six, master Nan." Alpha stated in a melancholic tone. "They all fought to their last breath."

"... Can they be buried?" He asked as he was set up on the cavern's medical ward.

"Just tell us where." She stated as she handed him a bowl of water to wash his face in.

Alpha then heads outside, where she retrieves the Hakuko family back into the base's interiors.

"Chi, the [Wave]?" Alpha asked.

"Gone." He stated as he brushed his hair upwards.

He then looks at Beta bringing in the [Bicorns] that she've captured and domesticated in an instant.

"... She was serious, wasn't she?" Chi pointed out.

"To be fair, she managed to do it without issue."

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

I slowly stood up and looked around the cavern depths.

The Hakukos were tending to their human matriarch, who was more winded then the white tiger-demi-humans, the remaining ex-whores were praying to their lost ones as a gesture of mourning, Garou and Fubuki were butchering fresh [Weretiger] meat and pelt (while sneaking in a few bites of the raw meat), and as for my [Summons]...

Ishmael [Evolved] into a [Dominion], gaining a extra pair of wings and new weapons, the [Stardust Mace] and a [Solar Shield].

Yaelia finally regained her [Empress] status, turning her into a [Wyrmlich Empress].

Haschel, Kongol, Meru, and Dart, all of them [Evolved] into the [Troll Hellion], [Troll Guardian], [Troll Mystic], and a [Troll Emperor], despite not participating in any battles (not that I'm complaining, all things considered).

Break, Bend, Snap, and Crunch [Evolved] into [Wight Myrmidon], [Wight War Mage], [Wight Sniper], and [Wight Ogre] despite not participating (again, not complaining).

Aabidah evolves into a [Ziz], a legendary [Wind] beast of lore standing alongside [Behemoth] and [Leviathan] (I now drool with anticipation), gaining an additional pair of wings, her once-brown plumage was now transformed into a night-sky-navy-blue, despite being smaller (size of a [Wyvern] compared to her B-52 size), and above all else, according to her, this state of evolution was like her back during her prime, only better.

I give her a big hug, almost rebreaking my ribs.

And finally, Baraka evolves into a [Pazuzu], now sporting a humanoid figure, gaining a [Wind] attribute in addition to its [Fire] and [Dark], and in exchange for its scorpion tail, it got itself a pair of wings and a snazzy golden halo behind its more defined human face (lion mane is also more prominent), and learned [Blight Wave] from its new form (Baraka classifies itself as non-binary in gender), which, while significantly weaker than [Poison Stinger], has wider AOE, and can inflict multiple status ailments ([Blight], [Dizzy], and [Curse]).

... So I guess that all and all, it was sort of worth the broken ribs, one death and resurrection, and two potentially pissed-off [Heroes] (with one close to my chest) now after my head, I guess it was worth it.

"MASTER! LOOK OUT!"

I hear a screech, and behind me, a [Goblin] with a [Dirk-Poisoned] jumps onto me.

Grimm bites its arms and legs off, leaving it flailing and helpless, but still alive.

"... Do we kill it?" Rino asked.

"Nah." I answered. "I kinda wanna try something."

As I headed towards the elevator, the three that I've abducted follow me.

"... A guided tour?" I asked.

"Just who are you?" L'Arc asked in a snarling tone. "And what's that thing around your right arm?"

I then look back at them, seeing L'Arc and Theresa wary, and Glass wanting to kill me outright, but too fatigued and tired to do so, so all she can do is fantasize on how's is she going to murder me.

"... Wanna take it inside?" I asked. "I've got food and drinks inside."

I'll take the overly-cramped elevator over more misunderstandings any day of the week.

At least the limbless [Goblin] doesn't have limbs to squeeze with.

After roughly about twenty seconds being crammed like sardines in a tin can, the doors open and we all fall into to an undignified heap.

"We really need to install a new elevator..." I gasped out in pain.

"What's an elevator?" L'Arc asked. "And more importantly..."

He jumps off of the pile and begins to look around.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE OF THESE!?" He cried out towards my stuff. "JUST WHO THE ACTUAL HELL ARE YOU!?"

"... Can you get these lovely ladies off of me first?" I asked. "I can't answer if my lungs are crushed under my shattered ribs!"

He helps Theresa and Glass up on their feet as I scrambled my ass towards the central Nexus.

"... Okay, before we start." I stated as Byakko followed me back in here, carrying the [Goblin] into the [Demonic Ritual Grounds] and left it there after mending its bleeding. "You guys want anything?"

They all shake their heads.

"Alright, start asking." I stated as I was handed a cup of mint tea.

"Okay, first of all..." L'Arc asked. "... Who are you?"

I sip my tea.

"Name's Nan Hon-Jah, former [Tome Hero] turned [Tome Fallen], got ripped out of my crib and into this little hellhole and became a total badass along with my little family." I stated.

All three of them bust out of their seats and point their weapons at me.

"You mean that [Tome Hero]!?" L'Arc barked out. "The traitor that turned his back on us!?"

"... I get the distinct feeling that I'm not getting the whole story." I stated. "I just got Grimm around a few months ago, and despite appearances, I'm not here to actively kill anyone."

"... Explain." L'Arc stated as he put his [Sacred Scythe] down, with the other two following suit.

"The Kingdom of Melromarc is already a cesspool of corruption and infighting between various factions, like any other political shitstorm." I stated. "As soon as I had the chance, I got the hell out, a bounty was put on my head _before_ I started to kill people, and as you can all guess, the whole situation got out of control until I caught attention of other high-bounty people of interest, with one of them being a goddamn sky pirate, and to wit, these past months have not been kind to my sanity, assuming if I have any."

"... He's not lying." Theresa stated as one of her gemstones dimmed. "There's tremendous amounts of fear and paranoia swimming in his soul."

"That doesn't explain how you knew of my plight." Glass pointed out while glowering at me. "How do you know of the fact that we're [Heroes] from another world?"

I stick out three fingers.

"One, your weapons." I stated. "All [Legendary Weapons] that the [Heroes] have that particular gemstone like design on them, and their design tends to lean towards a simpler side."

I sip my tea before addressing number two.

"Two, I literally saw you guys come out of the [Wave] along with the other monsters." I pointed out. "The fact that you tried to use the glare of the [Waves] to mask your presence indicated that you were trying to make your infiltration of this world discreet as possible, which, I completely caught since my right eye is a prosthetic, so light glares don't register as pain for me."

L'Arc and Theresa blush in embarrassment.

"And three..." I stated after finishing my cup. "... I might've read her mind with my said prosthetic eye, and it only took me a few seconds to connect the dots to know what's going on." I stated.

"Then you know that the [Shield Hero] must be slain." L'Arc stated.

I sigh out in frustration.

Okay, I have two options before me.

One, I can tell them the truth and clean this mess up soon as possible.

Or two, I can use their circumstances to be advantage, make them work for me, and let them figure out this whole ruse on their own.

Short term or long term?

Because my objectives lie as the following:

**1) Make sure that all [Heroes] are alive.**

**2) Only let a few people know in on my secrets as possible.**

**3) Wake everyone up from their self-entitlement-induced delusions soon as possible.**

... Not well thought out in hindsight, but situation has proven to be rather dire.

Gotta wing it.

"So with that said..." I stated. "... You mind telling me what's up with your issues regarding the [Tome Hero]?"

"... Fine, we'll tell you." L'Arc stated. "It all began around 500 years ago, when the [Vassal Heroes] were first established."

Oh right, the story didn't ever explain the background of the [Vassal Heroes], or any of the [Heroes] from that matter aside from small details that fell to the wayside and that one tidbit where Fitoria mentioned the [Hero/Totally-not-the-Shield-Hero] raised her.

"The [Vassal Heroes] were created to fight alongside with the first [Four Heroes], the [Sword Hero], the [Spear Hero], the [Bow Hero], and the [Shield Hero]." L'Arc stated. "And for a while, our world managed to fend off the coming [Waves]."

"Wait." I stated. "The [Four Heroes] were originally from _your world_?" I pointed out.

... Well this is a plot twist that I didn't see coming.

"I'm about to get to that part." He stated. "So as I was saying, my world managed to survive the coming [Waves] for a good while, but all of the sudden, during a [Wave], the [Four Heroes] were swept away after fighting the alpha, and after it ended, they nowhere to be found."

"So how did you managed to figure out interdimensional travel?" I asked.

"Glass." Theresa stated.

I then look at her, seeing discomfort in her eyes.

"... I'll get you a hot beverage." I stated.

"What's with your sudden act of altruism?" She asked.

"I didn't ask for your opinion." I replied.

I get her a hot cinnamon drink with a whole stick of butter in it (Big Bang Theory recipe, from Sheldon).

"Careful, it's hot."

She calms down a bit upon ingesting the warm drink.

"... When she came to our world, we discovered the existence of parallel worlds." L'Arc stated. "And we've learned that one can traverse to other worlds by simply going through the [Waves] where the monsters were coming from."

"... Oh right!" I stated. "I think I have something regarding that topic!"

Did you know that I've doing something called "offscreen research"?

I then look through the bookshelves and find the a book.

Labeled [The Dimensional Continuum Theory: Regarding Multiple Possibilities and Alternative Realms Outside One's Own].

... Yeah.

I do know the advantages of not leaving one's home for +16 hours a day, especially regarding the intellectual types (me).

You get a lot of work done.

We all open the book towards the table of contents, and find the "Regarding the Circumstances and Cause of the [Wave]".

... I would say JoshScorcher's _"Convenient."_ quote, but context clues dictate otherwise.

Giant swirly portals of light in the sky pretty much screams spatial breach.

"You wanna read for yourself?" I stated. "Because I think you're more likely to believe it if you read it yourself."

Not only I've read it beforehand, but also, you know.

Pattern recognition, context clues, whatnot.

People should do that more often.

"... So the [Waves] are caused by parallel dimensions colliding with one and another, bringing in monsters into other worlds?" L'Arc stated upon reading the contents. "And that the [Waves] are possibly happening around other worlds as well, at random intervals!?"

"Just why is this happening?" Theresa asked.

I then see L'Arc continue reader, with my finger pointing on the pages.

"As each [Wave] passes, a flow of energy can be seen from the world, slowly eroding the world's stability until its inevitable collapse!?" L'Arc stated. "And so far, I've managed to find _eight different worlds_ under fire from this extraterrestrial phenomenon!?"

"I don't think there's just eight." I pointed out. "After all, the existence of parallel worlds are enforced by the concept of possibilities and 'what-ifs', correct?"

"... That makes sense, after all we've noticed." L'Arc agreed.

I then look at Glass, who dropped her mug onto the floor, shattering it, and her in question, being on the verge of hyperventilation.

"... Glass?" Theresa consoled. "Are you okay?"

The kimono-clad woman falls to her knees, trembling and shaking.

I knew that it was a bad time to ask that question, but I won't get anywhere like this should I hesitate.

"Glass." I asked.

The time to be tactful was no more.

"... Did you see a _goddess_?" I asked. "Before you came to meeting L'Arc and Theresa?"

The aforementioned two then look at me with skepticism.

"What are you talking about?" L'Arc spoke out. "What goddess!?"

Time to play my card.

"... The goddess behind it all." I stated. "Medea Pideth Machina."

Behind me, I hear a clunking sound.

It was Genbu, who dropped his flask while clutching his head with both of his hands in agony.

"Genbu!?" I called out. "Are you alright!?"

"I... I'm fine..." He spoke out in pain.

I pick him up and lay him down elsewhere.

... Is it possible that he collapsed in pain upon hearing the goddess's name?

I'll have to get to that later. For now, I go a bigger (or smaller) fish to fry.

"So you're saying that a divine figure is behind all of this calamity?" Theresa asked.

"... Coming from what my friend went through, I think this whole shit bigger than we've ever perceived." I stated. "By the way, no one states that shit unless I give the ok, got it?"

L'Arc and Theresa nod.

Glass was now dripping tears onto the floor, her hands trembling, and her teething grinding like steel blade to a spinning whetstone wheel.

"... I should've killed that bitch when I had the chance." She whispered out.

"If you did, she would've erased you from existence." I stated.

She then wipes her eyes with her sleeves, stands up, and faces me.

"Tell me more." She stated. "Tell me more of the goddess that brought my home to ruin."

"I don't have much, but hopefully, what I have will suffice." I stated before revealing.

I tell them about Medea, of how she has infinite avatars all over the multiverse, how she's more than willing to destroy the worlds for shits and giggles (but prefers to draw out the suffering long as possible), how she has powers to control the flow of life via resurrection and filling her ranks with mindless thralls that she can Zerg-rush the parallel worlds with along with the native monsters from other worlds, the fact that she incarcerated their _entire homeworld_ into the [Infinite Labyrinth] (a level 120 [Dungeon] size of the _entire continent_ that we're on) like pets, and the real bombshell.

The mere fact that she used to be _human_.

"Everybody got that?" I stated.

"... That explains too much." L'Arc stated while slumping back on the Nexus. "No deity would act with such blatant sadism and headlong cruelty..."

"The gods that I've been praying to every day..." Theresa gasped out in utter horror. "... I was praying to that _monster_ this whole time!?"

Glass was loss for words. For she was too angry to even speak, with only Theresa's shared grief preventing her from setting the whole [Archive] on fire.

"However, that doesn't mean that she's invincible." I stated. "For there are three ways to fell her."

The three then look at me.

"One. We level grind like madmen and cap at level 999." I stated. "After all, Medea didn't reach divinity overnight, so the possibility of reaching equal ground with her is possible, but requires effort, and I mean lots of it."

"Two. Use the time given to our advantage to find a loophole." I stated. "Her sadism, while being a very potent force of power, is essentially her berserker drug." I pointed out.

"Now that I think about it..." L'Arc stated. "... You did say that she used to be human, so therefore, she still retained her flaws, right!?"

"Exactly." I pointed out. "Powerful and manipulative as she is, she has the base intelligence of a brick, and stubbornness of an old mule. Her temper and sadism pretty define her what she really is, a bully high on power, which means that she will fall."

"Only it's in our best interests to do it ourselves." I stated. "But whatever you do, do not sink to her level of mentality. She will find ways to kill all of us, and unlike her usual shtick, there are doubts that she will take her time on that little endeavor."

"So what do you propose?" Glass asked.

I then reach out my hand.

"I'd like you to join me." I stated. "After all, we gotta keep close to each other now that we're taking this little secret to the grave."

The three glance at each other right before Glass takes my hand.

"You better not fail us." She stated. "Do, and I will torment you for the rest of eternity."

"I will bleed if I must." I replied.

Upon hearing that, L'Arc and Theresa join in.

"It'll be a long haul, but hey, we did technically sign up for this, right?" L'Arc pointed out.

"I would say that I'm a hard exception..." I pointed out.

"... Oh right, sorry." The [Scythe Saint] stated. "Forgot that you got ripped out from your home against your will."

"... But hey, can't go home til I finish this, can I?" I stated.

"We'll be by your side, Mr. Hon-Jah." Theresa stated.

"Please." I stated.

"Call me Nan."

I then roll my neck as I got back down.

"So about the [Shield Hero]..." I asked. "What do you guys know about him?"

"All we knew that he is a ruthless person that uses other people and won't hesitate to dispose of other people if he has no use for them." L'Arc stated. "And when we saw him in person, he certainly fit the bill."

"About that..." I interjected. "... Would you like me to tell you why he's that way?"

"This should be interesting." Glass remarked.

And so, I tell them the whole damned conspiracy behind the [Shield Hero].

... Said conspiracy being against him.

"Holy shit..." L'Arc gasped out. "... Can't exactly blame him for breaking bad anymore."

"Soul crushing." Theresa stated. "Does the goddess's cruelty even influence the people's souls as well?"

"Unlike me, he has nothing left to lose..." Glass commented. "... Whereas I have lost everything."

... In hindsight, nixing Naofumi's fight against Motoyasu might prove disastrous in the long run, but my plans need him that way.

Said plan?

Not telling.

"One last thing, Nan." Glass asked. "What was that dagger that you stabbed me with that gave me this... odd yet, malicious power?"

"Oh, this?" I stated while drawing my [Sacrificial Dagger]. "Thought it looked cool, so I bought it. Turns out that this dagger awakens the 'dark side' of a person, either turning them into a monster, or give the [Heroes] the [Cursed Series]."

"So the [Shield Hero] and Glass's dark auras were from the [Cursed Series] that you've triggered." Theresa pointed out.

I then turn around to face them.

"Of that, I'm terribly sorry for doing such thing, but when it comes to amassing power, we can't afford to be picky." I pointed out. "And even if it does try to corrupt us, it's in our responsibility to tame our own darkness lest we do something we will guarantee to regret. With that said..."

I then point towards L'Arc, dagger in hand.

"May I have your consent to unlock your [Cursed Series]?" I asked politely.

"Not if I can help it kiddo." He responded. "... Not that I'm against it, but when the chips are down, then you have my consent."

I sheathe my dagger.

"Got it." I stated as I headed towards the [Demonic Ritual Grounds], where the [Goblin] was at.

Upon entrance, a message pops up into my HUD.

**Fun Fact!**

**Congrats! You've unlocked the [Demonic Ritual Grounds]!**

**You sure have come far, kiddo!**

**Now that you have enough [Summons] in your disposal, it's time I told you about this new room.**

**You can use this room to sacrifice other [Summons] to create new [Summons]!**

**Alternatively, you can use live monsters as [Sacrifices] to create [Summons] that can't be found elsewhere!**

**So give it a whirl!**

**See what kind of new [Summons] that you can get!**

**"That's... a little morbid." **Grimm pointed out.

"Wait, you can see what I can see as well?" I asked.

**"Since day one, kiddo."**

"What are you guys talking about?" L'Arc spoke out.

He then spot Grimm with his teeth out.

"AND IS THAT THING TALKING!?" He cried out.

"Oh right, didn't tell you guys."

I introduce Grimm to them proper.

"A talking [Vassal Weapon]?" Theresa commented. "That's quite interesting..."

"I prefer the term, 'complete badass'." I commented as I set the [Goblin] in the middle of the dark magic circle. "To call my first friend of this unforgiving world a mere weapon is a disservice of his hard work of keeping me alive."

"Sorry." Theresa apologized.

**"I get that a lot."** Grimm remarked.** "You're nice enough, so I won't eat off your arms."**

Then, a menu pops up in my HUD.

**[Sacrifice]: [Goblin]**

**[Summons] Amount: 1/10**

**To Sacrifice, please insert [Sacrificial Dagger] into the [Sacrifice]**

... Yep.

Like gacha.

But seriously though, do the instructions have to put it like that?

"Here's goes nothing..." I winced as I plunged the dagger into the [Goblin]'s chest.

I then open my eyes, only to find the [Goblin] bubbling and mutating like _cancer_.

I vomit on the cold marble floors of the grounds upon seeing the grotesque scenery.

The mutation stops all of the sudden, and then, a flash of magenta light.

The light fades, and in it, a shadowy-looking figure with a horned, humanoid with a pair of glowing circular, amber eyes.

**[... [Stygian]. Will kill for new master...]**

**"[Stygian] added to [Summon]."** My HUD stated as it got whisked away into Grimm's pages.

**Name: [Stygian]**

**Class: [Rare Encounter]**

**Level: 35**

**Affinites: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Evil**

**Item Drops: [Specterskin x10] (60%), [Obsidian Talons x5] (40%)**

**Attack: 35**

**Defense: 20**

**Agility: 40**

**Luck: 10**

**HP: 300**

**MP: 100**

"... Let's not do that again until we find someone deserving of this such fate, agreed?" I spoke out.

No one argues.

"Alright." I stated. "You guys wanna clean yourselves up? I got showers."

"Just what is this place?" L'Arc asked.

I smile.

"My inheritance from the previous [Tome Hero]."

After that, my whole party comes into the [Archive] as we try to settle down for the evening.

We share dinner on the same table, our three new allies see that our party consists of mostly demi-humans, humans, [Homunculus], [Gremlins], [Filolial King], and a [Tyrera Queen].

And just not counting the [Summons], with the [Undeads] that were resting in the [Crypts], and the rest of them in the [Roaming Grounds].

"... You trying to build an army?" L'Arch pointed out after swallowing his dinner roll.

"Yes."

**Next Morning...**

"So the [Four Heroes] are divided as this whole continent's geopolitical situation..." Theresa stated.

"Yep." I admitted. "I voluntarily put myself in the cusp of my personal three-front-war, all of which in hopes of cleaning this world up lest it gets destroyed, and I mean before the [Waves] could."

"That bad?" L'Arc asked.

"If by 'bad', you mean it's gotten to the point where the four kingdoms use the [Heroes] as their personal attack dogs, willing or otherwise, then my god, yes." I stated. "And they will keep doing so as long as they're told that they're GOAT/Greatest Of All Time, or typical carrot and stick."

It was currently around 11am, with me and the whole party readying ourselves to depart.

[Bicorns] were being strapped with saddles and bridles, with Beta disciplining them, Suzaku and Seiryu were scouting the parameters, still insistent on remaining in their human forms, Garou and Fubuki packing essentials (food, waterskins, weapons, shelter supplies), Byakko, Alpha, and Chi were repairing an old wagon found broken by the road just outside of the surrounding groves (body was buried proper), Wyndia, Rio, Rino, and Fohl were repairing all of our gear, and as for the rest of us (me, Grimm, Khronos, Malva, Atlas, L'Arc, Theresa, Glass, and Genbu) were looking at the map of the continent, mapping our next location.

"So here's where we are heading first." I pointed towards a certain patch of land by the coast. "[Rurorona Village], a settlement in Melromarc that once was a safe haven for demi-humans to prosper under a benevolent lord that promoted interracial tolerance, but the [Wave] comes, and guess what happened afterwards?"

"I am going to kill whoever did this." Khronos snarled out. His whole family nods in agreement.

"This village will be our checkpoint for a week, presumably to forage for some supplies and respite during that time." I stated. "After rest we head here."

I point towards a village edging the Seaetto Region.

"This place will be where Lord Idol Rabier is housed at." I stated. "Before I go on, does that name ring any bells?"

I then saw Khronos's and Fohl's tails stiff upwards in agitation.

"What demi-human hasn't?" Khronos stated.

"... Sorry about asking a stupid question." I stated. "So anyway, our main objective there is to find a underground chambers/torture celler imprisoning demi-human children. After that is done, loot, kill, take over the whole damn castle, the standard war procedure, sans raping because the last thing I need is to find any of you jagoffs as corpses with moonshines, if you know what I mean."

"As long as I get my pound of flesh, I'll live." Khronos growled out.

"Save some kills for me too, father." Fohl stated while cracking his knuckles.

Malva raises her hand.

"Is it possible for you to spare the ones that surrender?" Malva interjected.

"... I'll at least make sure that they're not killed on the spot, but after that, I decide whether they run or sleep. Got it?" I demanded.

She nods solemnly.

"Why are you doing this?" Glass stated. "I mean, I have nothing against what you're saying, but is this a way to get stronger for the oncoming [Waves]?"

I face her with the most stone-faced expression that I can muster.

"They're expendable."

I then head out of the table and towards where the others were at.

And out of Grimm's pages, Strelitzia pops out and greets me.

**"Good morning, darling!"** She beamed out.

"Morning sunshine." I greeted. "So what brings you bright and early?"

She smiles.

**"This."**

She suddenly pushes me down and takes off my pants.

"ST-STRELITZIA!?" I panicked. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?"

**"I am done waiting, darling."** She muttered out she tried to pry my hands off of my privates. **"For too long, I have gone unfulfilled-"**

"Look, if we're gonna have sex, can we do it at another time?" I begged. "People are watching!"

It's true. Literally everyone in the caverns were now staring at us.

"Two things, darling." Strelitzia pointed out. "One, my ovulation period is at its peak, and I need to get fertilized unless you want to have sex until_ next year_, I suggest saying 'yes'."

Oof.

So now or never?

... I still need time to-

**"And two, we need to shore up the defenses of our home while we're gone, and when I lay my saplings here, they'll act as extensions to my consciousness, and new [Alruranes] and [Trents] will act as sentries to keep our base well-defended."**

Oh goddamnit, logos.

"Why didn't tell me the latter in the former?" I pointed out.

**"It's called foreplay, darling."** Strelitzia stated. **"Now buckle up."**

I take deep breath in.

"... Good thing I watched Crank."

Now that I think about it, I think this whole world is like medieval-renaissance-version of Crank.

... And I'm going to live it like I'm on _high voltage_.

**One High-Voltage-_Lemon_ later...**

"Thanks darling!" Strelitzia thanked as she was walking towards the forest. "My saplings will take good care of this forest!"

I, on the other hand, was busy putting my pants back on, contemplating on the fact that my first time was _public_.

... Although in hindsight, I've done and ran into crazier shit.

Maybe that's why I'm so desensitized to this whole prospect.

"Nan." Atlas called out. "You're incorrigible."

"Believe me when I say that this is one of the saner deeds that I've ever done." I stated.

"I believe it, and that is the worst part about it." Atlas deadpanned.

At least the wagon was done with its repairs.

"Well, at least the interiors are protected my Yaelia's [Wyrm Skeletons]." I remarked as I got on the wagon.

Everyone was now on and accounted for, and with the snap of the bridles, we move.

Byakko was holding onto the bridles of the two [Bicorns] pulling the carriages, with one free one occupied by Garou, Fubuki, and Genbu.

Everyone else was on foot, with Iliad, Baraka, Dante, Keaton, and Appi keeping watch outside along with the rest of the infantry (no longer they shall be called ex-whores), all of them armored with [Steel Brestplates], [Steel Helmets], and [Steel Round Shields], and armed with [Steel Lances], [Steel Shortswords], and [Steel Hatchets].

I then look out towards the trees, with one of the new [Trent] saplings waving good-bye.

Strelitzia and I wave back at our technical children.

"They grow up so fast, don't they?" I remarked to Strelitzia, who's current sticking out of Grimm's pages.

She nods before heading back.

In the carriage, the following was happening.

Wyndia was cuddling Gaelion in his [Hatchling Emperor] form, with Yaelia now in her [Lichling Empress] form, resting on top of her head.

The entire Hakuko family were all sleeping in a bundle.

Rino and Rio were maintaining their respective weapons while small-talking.

Suzaku was napping on Seiryu's lap.

Glass, L'Arc, and Theresa were looking at the map, studying the layout of the whole continent.

Chi and Byakko were at the driver's seat, with one scouting, while the other driving.

And as for me...

I was keeping time.

"We're nearing sunset, guys." I called out. "I'll scout ahead with Garou and Fubuki."

I jump out and jog towards the bicorn mounted by the twins and one [Gremlin].

"Room for one more?" I asked.

Genbu hops onto my shoulder, right before Garou picks me up from my arm and hoists me up to the saddle.

"Alright, let's go." I spoke out.

Garou taps his heel onto the [Bicorn]'s side, causing it to trot ahead of the group.

We ride over the grassy hill overlooking the road taken.

"Beautiful sunset." I commented. "Shame that this place is not ideal for a picnic..."

I continue to look around, and find a familiar scene play out.

"... Oh this is perfect." I remarked. "Garou, ride over towards there, fast as possible!"

The [Bicorn] then gallops towards where the [Shield Hero] and Melty were at.

I then spot a gleam of the drawn sword from the escort behind Melty.

"GRIMM!"

I lash out the fanged chained [Forbidden Tome], and pulled myself towards the would-be-assassin.

"DRAMATIC ENTRY!"

My heel digs into the [Royal Guards]'s jawline right before I slide-land on the dirt road.

"Sup." I called out. "This will take a moment."

The [Bicorn] arrives, and upon its passengers dismounting, the dual-horned equine kicks a [Royal Guard]'s head off of its neck base right before barreling headlong towards the other escort [Royal Guards] with Garou and Fubuki.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Melty cried out.

"Saving your life." I stated. "You were gonna block that sword attack for the Crown Princess, correct?"

Naofumi looks at me with a surprised disbelief, with Raphtalia giving me a confused look, torn between cutting my head off, or thanking of sparing the effort.

"Eh, lemons." I remarked. "They taste sour either raw or juiced."

And I sort of knew that my Rider Kick wasn't enough to kill the guy, Grimm was currently eating his face off, so no biggie.

"Sorry, he hasn't eaten in a while." I stated.

I then spot the soldier holding the [Projection Orb] trying to act like Snake.

"... Excuse me for a moment." I told Naofumi.

I then emulate my inner Patrick Seitz.

"GET OVER HERE!"

... Specifically, Scorpion.

Grimm bites down around the [Royal Guard]'s ribs, and as he's pulled back, I wrap my right arm with my friend's chains, right before clotheslining the mofo's rear neck.

... A *SNAP* sound was heard from the guy, right before I heard Raphtalia vomit from my scrunchfest.

The [Projection Orb] roll to my feet.

I flip the orb off, right before I crush it underfoot like a rotten fruit.

"There." I stated. "Now the king has no substantial evidence to impede you any further."

"... My father is responsible for this?" She gasped out in horror.

"... Yes and no, weirdly enough." I told the Crown Princess. "He didn't give out the order, but rather, another faction instigated this little setup."

"Then who?" She asked. "Who's responsible?"

"Then here's a hint." I stated while [Summon]ing Iliad to dispose of the looted corpses. "It's a place where Naofumi's never welcome, has a creepy old man as its leader, and has followers everywhere, more loyal to it then the crown."

The look to horrified realization on their faces were surprisingly satisfying.

"The [Church of Three Heroes]?" Melty remarked.

"Ding ding ding, someone give her a gold star." I remarked. "But to be fair, this little conspiracy is more messier then first impressions dictate, but all I can say is this."

I then approach Melty.

"Forgive me."

I punch her in the gut and hold her at knifepoint.

"MELTY!" Filo cried out.

"One step closer, and she joins my family." I warned as I neared my [Sacrificial Dagger] to her neck. "A small prick from my knife, and she turns into a monster under my command."

Naofumi and his party of three reluctantly step back.

"Now Naofumi." I spoke out. "I only need you to do one thing."

"... What?" He snarled out in barely-contained rage.

"Get out of Melromarc and never come back." I ordered. "Should you continue to stay, then this whole conspiracy will kill countless people before the [Waves] could."

"Then what do you want with Melty!?" Raphtalia cried out. "Why her!?"

"Leverage." I replied. "The king's my prey, and fry-face is still insists on playing innocent to keep Motoyasu wrapped around her little finger?"

I smile evilly.

"I can use that to my advantage." I stated. "Now what's it gonna be? Get out of this country by cart?"

I bring the shiv closer to her.

"Or by a back of a [Unicorn]?" I implied while bringing by knife closer to her throat. "Surely, all girls love [Unicorns], amirite, Filo!?"

Reluctantly, Naofumi orders his party to go on the cart, and in turn, I sheathe my dagger.

"You better not end up getting her killed." Naofumi stated.

"You have my word." I replied.

The cart wheels away from me, heading towards the sunset, further from the cruel king's grasp.

Around my right arm, Grimm's chains bind Melty, and mounts her onto my back.

I then head towards the pile of [Steel Armor] and [Steel Pikes], where Garou and Fubuki were at.

"Is the carriage still intact?" I asked the twins.

Fubuki points behind her, the blood-splattered stagecoach, royal in aesthetic, almost to the point of being impractical.

Unfortunately, the horses were either being devoured by Iliad, or the [Bicorn] was _raping_ one of the stallions (turns out that the [Bicorn] that came with us was a mare/female) to _death_.

Thankfully, only two out of six were killed.

"... At least we have horses to spare." I groaned out.

My main caravan then shows up, I fill them in on what happened, and then we commandeer the coach to accommodate the Hakuko family and Melty (being nobility and all).

Also me, but just to make sure that Fohl doesn't kill Melty in her sleep (and the fact that I'm bound to her).

"So..." I called out. "... Who knows how to drive a stagecoach?"

Beta and Alpha volunteer.

"Alright company." I ordered as I got on the stagecoach. "Let's move!"

We then continue our journey into the night, with the infantry taking turns riding horses, and the carriages riding on the sun-paved dirt road.

Next stop, [Rurorona Village].

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **The story's canon has now been officially turned on its head, better or for worse.

The two [Parallel Heroes] and one [Magus] has joined the SI's party, said party are now in a caravan for their very first full-scale raid, Naofumi and his party are now free to head to Siltvelt without opposition, and in return, Nan has now custody over Melty.

Oh, and one last middle finger to King Aultcray Melromarc for good measure (and heart attack).

About the [Archive]'s facilities:

**[Crypts]: **[Undead] [Summon] resting area, may gain [Affixes] during stay time.

**[Sparring Area]: **Training area for party members only, may spar via simulation or 1-on-1 duel.

**[Storage]: **Exactly what it says on the tin, more space to store more miscellaneous items.

**[Roaming Grounds]: **[Wild Beast] [Summon] resting area, may gain [Affixes] during stay time.

**[Ritual Grounds]: **Gacha free summons, low-rarity ([Common] to [Rare]) [Summons] only, has 24-hour cooldown after every use, but can summon 10 in one sitting.

**[Demonic Ritual Grounds]: **Gacha summons, with [Sacrifices] acting as catalysts/Saint Quartz, high-rarity ([Rare] to [Legendary]) [Summons] only, can be used as much as the user's [Sacrifices].

**[Furnace]: **[Equipment] disposal and refinery.

Also, IRL Notes:

My dad is going to be released in two weeks!

Home life will probably go back to normal again!

Also, starting college around August 26th, still need to release my other fics, expect slowdown post 26th due to work and readjustment.

Either way, turning into an adult soon. Still need a car, but got nixed the first time around.

Wish me luck.

* * *

**_Stat Updates (Main Party):_**

* * *

**Name: [Hero Hunter] [Nan Hon-Jah]**

**Class: [Tome Fallen]**

**Level: 71**

**Affinites: [All Eight Elements]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Evil**

**Equipment: [Forbidden Tome, Grimm the Heretic], [Necromancer's Robes]. [Mire Boots], [Wight's Rune of Spite], [Silver Wolf's Maw], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Visage of Madness], [Geas: Mind Diver], [Portable Dragon's Hourglass]**

**Attack: 86 (+135)**

**Defense: 83 (+10)**

**Agility: 84 (+75)**

**Luck: 76 (+85)**

**HP: 640 (+45)**

**MP: 730 (+175)**

* * *

**Name: [Glass]**

**Class: [Phantom Fan Saint]**

**Level: 89**

**Affinites: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Sacred Fans], [Kimono of Mourning]**

**Attack: 102 (+50)**

**Defense: 83 (+50)**

**Agility: 121 (+50)**

**Luck: 50 (+50)**

**HP: 780 (+200)**

**MP: 800 (+200)**

* * *

**Name: [L'Arc Berg]**

**Class: [Scythe Saint]**

**Level: 48**

**Affinites: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Sacred Scythe], [Reaver's Braced Platings], [Obsidian Handwraps], [Mark of the Black Panther]**

**Attack: 58 (+150)**

**Defense: 50 (+75)**

**Agility: 51 (+50)**

**Luck: 50**

**HP: 700 (+150)**

**MP: 400 (+150)**

* * *

**Name: [Theresa Alexandrite]**

**Class: [Magus]**

**Level: 47**

**Affinites: [Fire], [Water], [Wind], & [Earth]**

**Alignment: Neutral Good**

**Equipment: ****[Holy Aquamarine Cane of the Sea Sage], [War Cleric's Leather Armor], [Sacred Gemstones of Holy Healing], [Sacred Gemstones of Divine Smiting]**

**Attack: 61 (+100)**

**Defense: 41 (+35)**

**Agility: 45 (+25)**

**Luck: 59 (+100)**

**HP: 400 (+50)**

**MP: 700 (+400)**

* * *

So what do you guys think of this Epic?

Will Naofumi reach Siltvelt?

How will Melty fare to being trapped in a caravan full of crazies?

And for the love of god, with all the cards now laid bare and open on the table of fate, will new cards have to be printed!?

Leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience are thinking.


	20. Epic 20: The Outing

**_Continuing self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_Waiting for Season 2..._**

**_Finger Count: 5/10_**

**_Eye Count: 2/2_**

**_Sanity Meter: 59%_**

**_Death Counter: 1_**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

_**Epic 20: The Outing**_

* * *

**Switching POV: Melty Q. Melromarc**

*THUMP*

The jolt of the uneven terrain shakes her awake.

A sting of pain shocks throughout her body from her chest.

Her dimly-blinking eyes slowly reveal unfamiliar surroundings.

_"I see that you're awake."_

The princess opens her eyes, and finds a hooded figure sitting in front of her, holding onto the chains binding her wrists, and next to her were demi-human children, one male, being around in his late teens, and a female, who looked around her own age.

Both of them have a pair of round white ears on top of their heads, with the only one without them being her captive, and the elderly woman next to him, eerily resembling her older sister, but with her own eyes, and the fact that she was the only human aside from her and the captor.

The man next to her captor was also a demi-human, like the two around her. His face was on the fence between youthful and aged. His eyes behind his glasses were sharper than her father's and mother's gazes _combined_.

And his expression, stone-like, yet vigilant.

Like a [Gargoyle], but in physical form.

And speaking of eyes...

_"His eyes..."_ Melty thought as she looked at her captive. _"... They're mismatched."_

"So..." Her captor spoke out. "... You doing okay?"

She tries to struggle her bindings off of her wrist.

**"Umm..."**

In front of her was a book with teeth around the edges of its cover.

The same one that was used to kill her would-be assailants.

The princess begins to tremble as the book monster begins to snake over her, teeth bared, and drooling.

"Grimm, you're making a mess." Her captor stated.

**"Oh, sorry." **The book monster stated as he retracted away from her face.

Her captor takes off his hood, revealing the [Tome Fallen]'s face.

"Sup." Nan stated. "... About the gut punch... sorry about that. Had to make sure that he was taking me seriously."

"I'm still mad at you putting Sir [Shield Hero] on the spot like that." The demi-human girl huffed out. "... But it can't be helped, and at least his burdens will be lightened in the forthcoming future."

Melty gulps as she begins to gather her bearings together.

"So..." Melty spoke out. "... Who are you all, really?"

The [Tome Fallen] then clears his throat.

"Alright. Introductions are a go." Her captor stated. "Name's Nan, but you've probably already heard of me. And around us are the remnants of the Hakuko Family from Siltvelt."

_"Wait, HAKUKO!?"_ She thought. _"So the [Tome Fallen] has the backings of foreign nobility!?"_

"Before you assume anything, no." Nan cut her off. "I didn't join them, but rather, they joined me, and let's just leave at that, kay pumpkin?"

"What's going on!?" Melty asked. "Why am I kidnapped, and what are you all after!?"

The [Tome Fallen] begins to caress his chin.

"... Let's call it a guided tour." Nan stated. "After all, you're smart and all, but still a child, barely knowing what the world is really like, including the fact that the fate of this shithole world is laid upon the backs of the [Four Heroes]."

Nan then draws closer to her face, almost brushing his nose against hers.

"So tell me, Crown Princess..." Nan asked without blinking or breaking from his dissonantly-soothing tone of voice. "... Do. You. Have. Any. Questions?"

"Alright then..." Melty spoke out. "... Here's my first question, what do you plan to get out of me?"

Nan then scratches his head.

"Aside from the fact that I'm need of a dire need of a companion that I can talk to heart to heart?" Nan stated. "I'm after two things specifically." He answered with him pointing up two fingers.

"First, regards to your father, Aultcray." Nan began. "This one is personal, especially to the Hakukos. Can you guess why?"

"... I remember that my father went on a war against Siltvelt, and emerging triumphant against the Hakukos." She stated. "But didn't they get their revenge by assassinating my aunt before I was born?"

"... About that." Nan stated.

He then points to the elderly woman next to him.

"... You don't mean!?"

"Glad you got the context clues together." Nan applauded. "And yes, those two next to you are your technical cousins, and no Fohl, you're not allowed to snap her neck like a twig!"

She looks next to her, only to find the demi-human teen's arms binded, with his face still snarling at her.

"I need her alive." Nan stated. "Can't use her as a corpse unless as emergency food supplies. Also, it's a pain in the ass to clean the bloodstains off of this damn wagon _again_."

Melty, even closer to faltering, still kept her cool.

"Sorry about the holdup." Nan apologized. "Now my second target, your bitch elder sister, Malty."

... She honestly saw it coming, but at the same time, didn't.

It would make more sense for_ Naofumi_ to go after her (but considering the controversies surrounding him, he wouldn't), but him?

Nan was basically a more functional/cunning version of her disinherited elder sister.

"Now now..." Nan stated. "... It's not what you think."

"What do you mean?" Melty asked.

"Sure, I want her dead in a ditch as any other sane and moral being, but as you can see..."

Nan then brushes his hair upwards.

"... I am not one of those people." He answered. "No, over the course of my involuntary stay in this world, I began to find her... _fascinating_."

"In what way?" Melty asked, admittedly _afraid_ of the [Tome Fallen]'s implications behind his words.

"Simply put?" Nan stated. "... One can say that I'm in _love_ with her."

Whatever logic and common sense left in her brain ruptures into gravel.

_"... Actually, he might be a better fit for dear sister then the King of Faubley."_ She thought. _"Lord knows what kind of machinations are being assembled inside of his consciousness as we speak..."_

"But no, I don't mean that of the traditional brand of affection." Nan stated. "But rather, it's more... _complicated_ than one might initially dictate."

Melty gulps in anticipation.

"... I just wish to know her a bit more." He went on. "I want to cut her head open to see what's going on in there. I wish to explore the darkest depths of her psyche, to see why she would go through such lengths to snatch the throne from you. I want to dance with her in the garden of madness that I will bring upon after I extend my reaches across all hearts of every man, woman, and child. Simply put..."

Melty looks into his eyes, and _doesn't_ find the eyes of a raving madman.

"... I wish to see if she is truly human."

... But that of a sane and rational human being.

"And that's why I need you." Nan stated. "The very object of her utmost hatred, reserved for someone... shall we say, _'extra-special'_."

"So I'm bait." Melty echoed.

"Who's a good parrot?" Nan mocked as he ruffled her head.

"Enough!" She slapped away his hand in a fit of rage, only for her to realize that she'd acted out of line.

She looks back at Nan...

... Oddly nonplussed about it, which is even worse for her, for that means that she can't tell what he's feeling.

"... You know, I sort of had that coming, with what you not giving me your consent and me_ also_ acting out of line." Nan pointed out plainly.

She wipes her brows in relief, only to find something wet and _red_ brushed against her forehead.

Melty looks at her hand, and finds a massive cut running across both of her palms.

"So let's lea_ve at that, okay?"_

Those were the last words that she heard right before her consciousness failed her.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

"... At least she ain't running." I remarked at the now catatonic-Melty.

**"Dude, you sometimes terrify me."** Grimm pointed out.

The two siblings around Melty nod in agreement.

"... Boy, are you interested in politics?" Khronos asked. "Because your presence would even cow the most zealous of those Aotatsu-wyrm-fuckers instantly."

"... Let's just say that I'm a Stephen King fan and leave at that, okay?" I replied gently.

So I say as the sun begins to set outside.

"[High-Healing]."

I heal her cut as I wipe the blood away from her forehead.

I then hear knocking from the carriage door.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Some random people are coming by, and they're asking who we are." I heard one of the infantry speak out.

"Hide." I ordered the demi-humans as I threw my hood back up and covered the majority of my face.

I come out, and find a party of passerby _adventurers_.

"What's going on here?" A male level 41 [Myrmidon] asked.

"We're mercenaries." I replied. "Hired by the Queen Mirelia Q. Melromarc herself to escort the crown princess back to her."

I even show him the paper with the Queen's signature and wax stamp (forged, but the matters stay the same).

"Okay, but why this much guards?" A level 40 female [War Mage] asked.

"Previous escort turned out to be a bunch of assassins." I _half_-BSed. "Managed to call in the whole company before things got real ugly. And I thought politics were supposed to be kept under wraps, but so much for that..."

"Well, we best be leaving." The [Myrmidon] stated. "Thoise [Trents] aren't going to slay themselves."

"Do be well!" I greeted them as we then made our separate ways.

Behind me, Strelitzia appears out of Grimm's pages.

**"5,000 gold states that they're gonna get their asses kicked." **My now-[Dryad] wife remarks.

"10k says that it's _ours_." I replied.

... I now kinda love being a father of my plant-children.

"Anyway, sun's going down, and I can almost smell seawater just ahead." I remarked out loud. "[Rifana Village] is almost near, and not a moment too soon, especially after almost a whole_ week_ of traveling, and making good time to boot."

I then hop on top of the royal carriage, hanging off of the side rim.

"TALLY HO! TO THE COAST!"

**Switching POV: Rino**

"So..." The [Assassin] spoke to Wyndia. "... How did you end up having a friggin [Dragon Emperor] for a father?"

"... I dunno." The dog-girl replied glumly. "Gaelion raised me ever since I was a baby."

"... Sorry." Rino replied. "Just curious."

"It's alright, since we're all now essentially a bigger family." She smiled. "... And speaking of which, what your family like?"

Rino goes completely silent.

"... Never had one." She replied. "Honestly, I can't remember who were my parents to begin with."

"... I'm sorry." Wyndia apologized as her dog-ears drooped. "I was a little insensitive here, was I?"

"We're even." Rino replied. "We both got dealt with bad hands in our lives, but that crazy bastard of a [Hero] took us in."

"He said he wanted to change the world." Wyndia stated. "Does that mean it'll be a world where I don't have to hide my ears in this kingdom?"

"And hopefully a world where I'm _not_ stared at like a fine cut of meat at Siltvelt." Rino remarked. "... You're pretty cool, Wyndia."

"You too, big sis." Wyndia stated while rubbing her ass.

"Oh you..."

Rino then retaliates my tickling her sides.

Wyndia bursts out laughing as her ribs were being assaulted by Rino's nimble digits.

"WILL YOU TWO JUST UP!? I'M TRYING TO GET SOME FUCKING SHUTEYE HERE!"

In front of the two was Rio, with bags under eyes, hair all mussed up, and in her arms was her [Chokuto].

... She was night patrol and didn't get to eat breakfast and was trying to catch up on some sleep.

"... Oh, and tonight, it's your two's shift." Rio reminded them as she curled herself back into a ball. "Now shut up and let me fucking sleep."

The two sister-in-bonds look at each other for a moment.

"... So Nan said that the [Sword Hero] used to be her boyfriend?" Rino whispered out.

"Dunno how he does it, nor do I care."

The two tiny dragons climb back up onto the demi-human's shoulders.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

Another night, another lookout.

[Nocturnal] title is equipped, guards are switched out on a regular basis, and aside from spotting a few [Direwolves] and the occasional [Werebear], it was a relatively quiet night, all things considered.

"Now eight minutes past midnight, and still no signs of any pursuers..." I muttered.

Can't afford to get too careless. After all, even though the king had long lost is marbles, you really can't keep a good savant down.

I speak that from personal experience.

Flambe the [Salamander] was basically our campfire, Dante [Red Lizardman Swordmaster] was patrolling the surrounding grounds with Rino and Wyndia in tow, and Rubicante the [Ifrit]...

**"... Sultan, I wonder why I even here."** Rubicante asked.

"Nights like these are cold." I replied. "Not only that, you're basically our threshold."

The flaming djinn just gives me a look before heading off elsewhere in the camping grounds.

I sit down next to a tree, before letting out a yawn.

In front of me, I spot Atlas walking towards me.

"Hey." I spoke out. "... What are you doin' out so late?"

"I've been thinking..." She spoke out as she sat next to me. "... About what you said, is it true?"

"... Wait, can you like, read minds?" I asked.

"No, I'm an empath, not a telepath." She replied plainly. "The reason why I'm asking this is that... out of all the people that I've met, you're the least understandable."

"Elaborate." I requested.

"... Whenever I try to dive into your mind... I feel like I'm entering into another world." She stated. "A world... where_ time_ is _dead_ and _meaning_ has _no meaning_."

"How does it feel to step into my mind?" I asked. "Where _existence_ is _upside-down_ and _I_ reign _supreme_?"

"... If I stay in there too long, I fear I might completely lose myself to that..." Atlas paused.

I ruffle her head.

"It's called insanity." I answered. "You should try it sometime."

"Hell will freeze over first, [Tome Fallen]." Atlas replied sternly.

"What can I say, I love and utterly loathe myself." I giddly replied.

She then stands back up before leaving.

"Just what damaged your soul, Nan?" Atlas asked.

I merely smile.

"Call it a... destruction of my internal concept of trust and faith." I answered. "Feel free to know more at your own discretion."

She then walks back to her family's tent.

... You know, when she described my mind, I think she was describing _Weirdmageddon_.

And the worst part?

My mind is like Yandere Simulator's security system.

Bill Cipher's _interdimensional_ rave was only the _beginning_.

"... And you know, _princess_, nobody likes evesdroppers."

I flick a pebble towards a tree, and a fruit lands on top of Melty's head.

The blue-haired princess comes out of the tree, holding onto the fruit that I fell.

"How did you know?" She asked.

"Oh sweetie..." I stated as I slowly approached her. "I. Know."

I flash-step towards her, edging her face, and emulating my inner _Bill Cipher_.

**"EVERYTHING."**

She falls to her little rump, trembling, while desperately trying to keep her bearings.

"... Who are you?" She asked in her trembling but resolved (adorable) voice.

I edge away from her.

"... Just a badass. That's all." I replied. "You wanna sleep next to me?"

I then extend my [Necromancer's Robes] out towards her.

"... I'm good." She replied before hurrying back.

As I'm left alone, Grimm opens itself towards me.

**"... You sure it was okay let her off like that?" **Grimm asked. **"I mean, that was pretty harsh."**

"She's strong." I replied. "I mean, she did state that her older sister tried to assassinate her multiple times, and she plays it off as another annoyance. Thought I... let's just say, test her iron will against my madness."

**"Dude, she's like, 12."**

"And the politics around this hellhole is something straight out of George R.R. Martin's noggin, with fry-face as Prince Geoffrey's stand-in, and I'm starting to realize that Aultcray might be a Aerys II Targaryen." I replied. "And no, I don't mean just the fact that he's criminally insane, but also the fact that he might wanted to fuck his own sister Malva and that's why he's so damn salty against all demi-humans in the first place."

**"... In a normal situation, that would be considered asinine, but then again, after all that's happened, I don't think this is even a plausible complaint anymore." **Grimm grimly stated.

"... Wanna get some shuteye before sunlight?" I asked.

Grimm closes himself shut.

... And speaking of Game of Thrones.

I wonder if I can turn our little _Stannis Baratheon_ into a _Ser Jaime Lannister_.

"Bah humbug."

I shut my eyes as I lie down, and think of _home_.

"Grimm?" I spoke out. "I kinda miss my mom."

Only silence greets me in the post-party of insanity and tragedy.

**Switching POV: Naofumi**

"Master Naofumi?"

Between the sounds of the cracking embers and Filo's snoring, Naofumi heard Raphtalia's voice call out.

"What is it?" Naofumi asked as he put down his [Tome Shield].

"... What do you think about the [Tome Fallen]?" The raccoon-girl asked. "I mean, he helped us out alot, but at the same time, he's tried to get us killed on several occasions, and-ARGH!"

The raccoon-girl shoots out of her sheets in frustration.

"EVERY TIME I THINK ABOUT HIM, I FEEL LIKE MY BRAIN'S GOING TO EXPLODE!" Raphtalia screeched out. "I MEAN, WHAT'S HIS DEAL WITH, I DUNNO, _EVERYTHING_!?"

"Then stop thinking about him if it's going to make your head hurt." Naofumi replied. "No use thinking about it if it ain't our business."

"I know! I know!" She replied. "But my instincts tell me... that's he's seriously bad news."

"Like how, Raphtalia?" Naofumi asked.

Her tail the curls around her waist as she begins to stroke in hopes of finding counsel.

"... No matter what we do, I feel like we're playing into his hands, one way or the other."

Naofumi would say that she's just being paranoid, but at this point, it'll be like calling pot a kettle.

That, and Raphtalia does bring up some valid points.

Because out of all of the oppositions that they've faced, Nan was easily the most unpredictable for his sheer cunning _alone_.

He was basically Malty with an I.Q. of over 120, and by extension, more unpredictable.

Paranoid?

Yes.

But better at hiding it?

... As his party's shield, he mustn't show weakness.

"Raphtalia." Naofumi muttered out. "I swear, I'll keep you safe."

"Master~" Filo sleep talked. "Can I eat the dragon that we've just killed?"

Naofumi lets out a small chuckle at Filo's remark.

"We'll let you have some when we find one..."

The embers finally die out, letting the cool night air take hold of them.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

... I'll skip over the morning BS and just say that we all packed and about hit the road.

I recalled Flambe, Dante, and Rubicante, and let out Keaton and Beatrice to patrol the road ahead.

"... Morning folks." I yawned out. "You slept okay?"

"Go to hell, Nan..." Fohl moaned out.

"Sorry." Malva apologized. "Even after 17 years of age, he's been almost impossible to awake in daylight..."

"Maybe it's due to him watching over Atlas this whole time, causing some stress to accumulate." I hypositzed. "Here."

I then hand her a spare sheet.

"He's going to need it more then me." I remarked. "Get him in the carriage."

She nods as she hoists the tiger-boy into the cart.

"Now then, where the hell's Melty..." I muttered out.

From the bushes emerge Garou and Fubuki, with Melty encased in a block of ice, sliding towards me.

"She tried to make a run for it." The wolf-boy stated.

"Any [Shadows]?" I asked.

"Got away." Fubuki replied.

... Aw shitbiscuit, the Queen's about to catch on with the wrong message.

Fuck it, plan B.

"I KNOW YOU'RE HERE, SO COME OUT BEFORE I FIND YOU!"

Behind me, the Queen's [Shadow] appears with a knife pointed at my throat.

"Release the princess." She demanded.

"... Alright."

Fubuki shatters the ice block, freeing the princess.

"Alright, now release me." I ordered.

"My orders are simple." She stated. "Return the princess back to the_ king_."

Strike one.

"And secure the princess-"

*SCRUNCH*

"Strike three, you're dead."

Thank you, "Villain Ball" trope for making my life easier.

A now-headless [Shadow] drops her knife, along with a [Three Heroes Church Crucifix].

"Wh-Wha-What's going on!?" Melty's voice trembled out.

I face her as the twins loot the corpse.

"... Shite, I forgot to tell you what's really what, huh?" I remarked. "Well, no time like the present."

I then begin to look around, and find Keaton and Beatrice, with the [Direwolf] gnawing on a male [Shadow]'s corpse.

"... Well shite." I muttered.

Then, I give out my final orders.

"EVERYONE! PACK! NOW!"

**10 Minutes Later...**

We hit the road quickly as possible, leaving behind the looted corpses of the king's [Shadow]s littered behind us.

"Okay, princess." I muttered out. "Believe me now?"

She drops every last incriminating evidence (written orders, [Three Heroes Crucifixes], etc.) that we found of the King's orders to retrieve/murder Melty.

"... I really should've saw this coming, especially with my mother all the way at Siltvelt while my birthright is on the verge of a _civil war_." Melty groaned out. "And I'm at the epicenter."

"That politics for ya." I remarked. "The old people with power really prefer to keep it that way, and it's the young ones job is to destroy the status quo for the greater good."

Malva tries to counsel her long-lost niece.

"I can't believe my brother has fallen for a ploy so obvious..." She bemoaned.

"It's a terrible thing when politics sell feelings over rational thought." Melty remarked. "Even worse, _you're_ the only one that makes sense of this cacophony, while at the same time, you make everyone else around you look more sane in comparison."

"Insanity works in mysterious ways, dear princess." I replied. "You just got to learn to appreciate the madness taking place, and the first step of doing so is to acknowledge that this world is naturally insane."

"Can you not?" She begged.

"Unfortunately, I cannot afford to be gentle lest I lose my edge." I replied. "So please, bear with me."

She just lets out a grumble right before glomping onto Malva.

Then I feel a cold piercing gaze from my right.

"Fohl, no." I stated. "You're not allowed to kill her because she's hogging your mommy."

He just settles for grinding his teeth.

"... You know, after seeing Melromarc and Siltvelt, I've noticed something about those two nations reactions to their opposing races." I pointed out.

"Really now?" Khronos stated. "Elaborate."

"For starters, let's start at Melromarc." I stated. "There, the human's reaction to demi-humans is that of, shall we say, social stigmatization."

"Such as reducing rights and public demonization?" The Hakuko patriarch pointed out.

"Took the words out of my mouth." I replied. "But if one were to look deeper, a question begins to form; 'What is the root emotion of the racism?'."

"Isn't contempt an emotion of itself?" Khronos asked.

"... Not really." I replied. "It's more or less a byproduct, for contempt and all affiliated emotions, no matter how petty it is, usually is built upon a base emotion."

"So what emotion, then?" He asked.

"... Pride." I answered. "Here's the thing about humanity; they know that they're still part of the natural pecking order, so in order to deal with that little existential crisis, they started to develop this little self sense of grandeur so that they may ignore this awful truth, and by extension, anything outside of their understanding/general xenophobia... I'm assuming you know what the latter means, and if so, you can figure out the rest, correct?"

"So from fear came pride, and from pride came contempt, and in short, a literal hell where demi-humans go to die slow and painful deaths." Atlas summarized. "Then what of the demi-humans reacting to humans in Siltvelt?"

"Ooh, that's a tough sell, but hopefully, my experience is enough to come up with a substantial base." I stated. "... From the short amount of time that I've spent in your homeland, I've been taking notes of behavioral cues for the demi-humans around humans, and from what I can find out..."

I gag a little.

"... Sorry, but I'm about to dive into something extra-controversial, and possibly insensitive, so, listener discretion advised?" I winced.

"I've been through worse." He replied. "And Atlas already probed your mind, which, according to my human niece, is beyond all of our comprehension, so go ahead."

"Your racism trigger tends to lean towards the more... _primal_ side." I stated.

"... Elaborate." He stated in an unamused tone.

"... Whenever a Siltvelt-native demi-human spots a human, it only looks like that of hostility as expected of a xenophobe, but closer inspection reveals something rather, shall we say, disturbing."

"Like what?" Khronos _snarled_ out.

"... Whereas humans go the extra mile in their dickishness, you guys go on the verge of going_ feral_." I stated. "During your stay at your mansion, I spotted one of your guards _salivating_ at Rino. And during my stay at the slaver's tent in my [Werepanther] disguise, there was a _butcher's block_ in the tent, with some humans kept in there, whole in feeding pens, or in _pieces_ on a _chopping board_, scent of blood being self-explanatory, thanks to the never-bare _meathooks_."

Everyone goes into a catatonic shock, unable to utter a single word more.

And the reason why I didn't bring it up?

... Does anyone remotely sane want to play _Manhunt 2_ with their girlfriend on their_ first date_!?

"... Oh my god." Melty gasped out in shock. "Please tell me that you're lying."

Atlas sticks her head outside and vomits.

"You think when Miss Empath vomits, you think I'm lyin'?" I pointed out.

"B-But I thought the practice of_ human processing _was banned decades ago!" Khronos spat out.

"The same can be said for Melromarc's slavery ban." I pointed out. "... So earth-shattering, except-not-really revelation aside, everyone get the big picture?"

They all nod with horrified looks on their faces.

"And may I be so bold to ask..." I directed towards the Hakuko patriarch. "... Permission burn this whole damn continent down to bedrock, worst-case-scenario?"

"... I do not mind." He muttered out. "If it means to cleanse my sin of ignorance, then yes,_ I do not mind_."

"... Consent accepted." I stated. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going out for some air, and I trust that the kids won't murder each other?"

The three of them nod without a single complaint.

"Heading out."

I close the door behind me, hanging off the ledge of the carriage.

"... You think I was too hard on them?" I asked Grimm.

**"... I dunno."** Grimm replied glumly.** "I dunno, kid."**

... God, I'm_ fucking_ idiot.

**Switching POV: Glass & Company**

"... Doesn't this map remind you of something?" Theresa pointed out.

All three of them look closer at the map.

"Yeah..." L'Arc stated. "Now that I think about it..."

He then pulls out another map from his back pocket.

The two then compare their maps.

"... Nevermind." The [Scythe Saint] stated. "Must've been seeing things."

Glass however, notices something between the maps.

"... Hold on." The [Phantom Fan Saint] stated.

She then overlays the two maps face to face, and find that they match.

"The two maps..." She stated. "... They're mirror images."

"Holy crap..." L'Arc remarked. "... This whole parallel dimension thing is starting to get weirder by the minute."

"I agree." Theresa stated. "Our home continent and the one that we're on being almost one and the same..."

"... Eh, probably just a coincidence." L'Arc remarked.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

"... Oi."

I then climb up on top of the carriage and look straight ahead.

"Hey Grimm..." I spoke out. "... Isn't that?"

**"All I spot are wrecked buildings and bad memories, kid." **Grimm stated.

"... Yep." I stated grimly. "We're here."

I jump off, and run towards Garou and Fubuki on their [Bicorn].

"You two mind scouting ahead?" I asked.

"Eh, at least let something happen." Garou remarked.

"Don't forget about me, laddie."

On my right shoulder, Genbu hops on, smelling like booze as always.

"Alright!" I barked out as I got on. "We'll be scouting ahead! Everyone! Remain vigilant until we return!"

We then head off towards the ruined [Rurorona Village].

Heavy heart in chest and lead-weight consciousness in mind, me and my siblings-in-oath ride towards the village ruins.

We first pass by the haphazard gates, the sign labeled [Rifana Village] trampled beneath the [Bicorn]'s hooves.

Then, around us, a dead calm greeting us, with nothing but the stiff breeze of late spring caressing our goosebump-ladien skin.

And finally, we all sought for any forms of life.

... Not even a single insect roamed this place.

"Urp..." I gagged. "One moment..."

I get off and vomit in the bushes.

... Yep. Implications can only be heard by word of mouth and written text.

Actually seeing it, however...

"... I'm still hopeless if I let something like this make me queasy." I remarked.

Behind me, the twins help me back up.

"... Thanks." I thanked.

"No problem." Garou stated. "Now c'mon. We gotta get back to the others."

... Yep. It truly felt like it was us against the whole world.

Overdramatic?

... Might be.

**After Regrouping...**

"Alright everyone, unpack!"

Infantry, carted, and calvary all scatter around the ruined [Rifana Village].

Under my orders, we all set up a temporary base camp as a foothold for our little raid.

"So." I stated to the five nobles. "... Any comments?"

"... This place used to be a demi-human village?" Fohl gasped out.

"I can only smell death and terror throughout the very dirt we tread upon..." Atlas commented.

Malva and Khronos were too distraught/enraged to answer.

"... Why would father do this?" Melty asked.

"... Directly, he didn't." I pointed out. "Rabier's repremention was before this shitshow of pure evil even happened."

"So you think father deliberately banished him to his current land..." Melty realized.

"Sonofabitch still got it." I muttered in disgust. "Thank god that his attention is solely on the [Shield Hero]."

Cruelty is weird, for it was an action that is a toss-up between cunning or dimwittedness.

"... Anyway." I stated. "Everyone combat-ready, spread out and search the area. Find anything useful, take it, and reconvene back in the town square in an hour."

"Okay, that's enough." Malva stated.

Everyone then stops and begins to stare at me in suspicousion.

"Tell us why..." She asked. "Tell us really why that you've brought all of us here."

... Hm.

"Fine..." I groaned out. "... The truth then."

... Okay, I've might've been concealing some rather... crucial details regarding this mission.

Reason why?

... I forgot to tell them, nor they asked until now.

Okay, so here are the details:

Over the past three weeks, I had my [Bird Eyes] (Legion#156138 to #156895) to scout out [Rifana Village] ahead of time for vital information.

Around week 2, I've received reports of a [Cerberus] being sighted in the forest thickets.

And no, I don't mean the same three-headed mongrel that you find in every generic fantasy settings.

I mean that it's the _same_ damn mutt that's been around since Raphtalia's _origin story_.

Proof?

A massive gash ran across its chest, presumably from a_ certain Orca-girl's harpoon_.

Can't be sure, but there were also several puncture marks around its chests as well, and correct me if I'm wrong, but there weren't any [Heroes] around that time to stop the [Wave], right?

"... So what you're saying is that you're conducting an investigation without our knowledge?" Melty pointed out.

"Admit it, do I really want all of you to get involved in my little wild goose chase?" I stated.

"You already did." _Everyone_ said in unison.

"... Well, it's like another kill-and-grill, so let's make lemonade out of this lemon, shall we?" I asked.

No one was pleased.

"... Fine, I'll search alone." I stated as I walked off. "Rest of you can go back to camp-"

... You know, I should stand still while I'm talking.

Mainly because I walked off a cliff without noticing.

"... Grimm?" I asked.

**"Yeah?"** The tome replied.

"Before anything happens, I just want to say this." I stated. "Ow."

... I black out as _something_ nails my crotch upon landing.

**[... Wow, dude.]**

**[Three times in a row.]**

**[... You enjoying this or something?]**

**A) [As of late, this might be my new kink.]**

**B) [Dunno, maybe life hates me.]**

**...**

**B) [Dunno, maybe life hates me.]**

**...**

**[... Eh.]**

**[Just avoid being a total spaz, kay buddy?]**

I open my eyes, still dazed from my act of stupidity.

_**"K...d..."**_

Upon waking up, I saw my entire party looking down upon me.

"You alright, Nan?" Garou asked.

"Aside from the fact that my balls are now dark-blue at this point?" I snidely remarked.

"He's fine." Atlas stated.

"Aw dammit, you had to go and ruin it..." I stated as I painfully got up. "Ow ow ow..."

I then lean against the cliffside as I looked at my health bar.

... Yellow nearing red.

I then look up.

"... Grimm, how far did I fall off?" I asked.

**"Approximately _5__0 feet_, kid."** Grimm stated. **"I think I heard your balls go _pop_."**

"Brilliant."

I then chug my [Intermediate Health Potion] and refill my HP bar (along with my testicles; not as pleasant as it sounds) right before I walked off elsewhere to continue exploring this whole place.

**"You sure that you should be walking about?"** Grimm pointed out.

"I'll crab-walk if I must-"

**"Don't."** My [Forbidden Tome] stated. **"Just don't."**

Fohl then fireman-carries me over his shoulders.

"C'mon." He stated. "Rest up first before going all gung-ho o traveling, got it?"

"Yes sir." I glumly stated as my whole party traveled back to base camp.

And for the whole day, after a week of marching, my whole company rests for the whole day.

**The Next Day...**

... One whole day passes, and not a single nighttime ambush.

Managed to hunt down a single (and deathly thin) [Brown Boar] and a single [Black Hare] for breakfast, and foraged a few wild onions and mushrooms from the surrounding woods for myself.

... And I've learned [Blight Immunity 2] the hard way and leave at that.

"... I swear, none of the shrooms were technicolor." I stated as I was handed a waterskin.

"Master, maybe next time, consult one of us before foraging, lest you develop [Blight Immunity 3] the hard way." Byakko stated.

I nod before I vomit on my own boots.

... Karma's a bitch, not that I haven't done anything to deserve it.

"Can you walk?" L'Arc asked.

I nod as I slowly regained my footing.

Without a word, we resume our exploration around [Rifana Village].

The twins, the Hakukos, and Melty search the ruined village (Party A).

Glass's and company, Wyndia, and Rino search the surrounding forest (Party B).

And me, Grimm, Genbu, Byakko, and Rio search the coastline (Party C).

"So..." I stated while swinging a stick. "... Just wondering."

"Wondering what, lad?" Genbu stated as he took a swig from his flask.

"... Why would they try and establish a demi-human settlement in a human-supremacist kingdom, knowing that the rest of the whole kingdom wouldn't accept them?" I pointed out. "Mind you, there's nothing wrong with that notion in the first place, but you'd expect the lord who was responsible to be at least aware of that before his little social pahrah."

"... Perhaps that's why." Byakko stated. "The one responsible might've been trying to challenge that notion, hoping to spark a change."

I then kick a loose pebble into a tidepool.

"I would say that life doesn't work that way, but even if I did, I get a feeling that I would end up inciting more bad karma at this point." I muttered to myself. "Even for me, that's _beyond_ fucked up..."

"We could only wish for happy ending, laddie." Genbu pointed out. "_We_, however?"

"Simply take it for ourselves?" I reaffirmed.

"Don't rolled the rigged dice that life gives ya." Genbu stated as he sat down on my shoulder. "Believe me, I know."

"... Waitaminute, you remembered something?" I stated while thinking of that time where he was having a bad headache.

He nods.

"Nothing special really." Genbu stated. "All I saw was me playing a game of dice with a woman."

Alright, not passing this up.

"Okay Genbu." I stated while putting him down on a rock. "Stop right there."

The black [Gremlin] blinks at me.

"... Just where were you throwing the dice onto?" I asked.

The pilot hat-wearing [Gremlin] scratches his head.

"... Can't tell." He stated. "But I do know what the dice looks like and where it landed."

"Really? What was it!?" I asked urgently. "Which side of the dice was facing up!?"

"... _20_."

My brain cracks.

"... Holy shit." I muttered out. "Byakko, you got that?"

"Crystal." My butler nodded.

So the first clue of my amnesiac companion was that of a [20-Sided Die]...

**"Ummm..." **

I then see Grimm sulking towards me.

"What is it?" I asked.

**"... About recovered memories..."** Grimm stated. **"... I also remembered something."**

... Okay, I'm starting to notice a pattern here.

"Since when?" I asked.

**"Since your [Class Promotion]."** He stated. **"And unlike him, I remember mine vividly."**

"Oi, I'm right here, wormtongue." Genbu pointed out.

"So what did you remember?" I asked.

I then saw hesitation and minor panic from his monoeye.

**"... I was on_ fire_."** Grimm stated. **"And I _wasn't_ the only one in the inferno."**

... Okay, it was official. Grimm was now on the verge of going into a full-on_ panic attack_.

**"They were laughing as they threw all of us into the flames..."** Grimm _whimpered_ out.** "Somebody... Anybody... PUT OUT THE FIRE-"**

I dunk him into the seawater and wrench him back out.

**"... It's out." **Grimm heaved in relief.

"No one's burning anything unless I give the say-so, kay?" I reassured.

My tome nods in my embrace.

"Good." I stated. "Shall we head off?"

The four of us continue to traverse the coastline.

"Hey Rio..." I asked her. "... You've been awfully quiet lately."

I hear her yawn behind me.

"... Nevermind, you've been sleeping like shit lately."

**Switching POV: Party B**

"Umm..." L'Arc froze mid-sentence.

Before them, a fresh patch of pawprints, each size of a _fully-grown man_ were laid before them, surrounded by slightly-uprooted trees, with the tail leading into somewhere else.

"... I don't think paw prints are supposed to be _this_ big." Theresa stated. "At least when it comes to normal wildlife..."

"A [Boss], perhaps?" Glass pointed out. "It may explain why this whole forest is so..."

"Barren?" Rino finished. "Aside from a few wild animals that one would normally see in a place like this, you'd expect there to be a bit more-"

A loud roar was heard from the depths of the greens.

From above, several birds scattered out into the sky in panic.

"... We should leave."L'Arc suggested. "I'd love a good fight and all, but something tells me that it's a really bad idea to overstay our welcome."

Party B departs from the forest as the roar's echo becomes tranquil.

**Switching POV: Party A**

"..."

"... Melty dear?" Malva stated towards the catatonic princess. "You seem... tired."

She shakes her head.

"I'm not tired, dear aunt." She replied. "... It's just... _why_?"

"More like why _not_, girl."

Behind her, Khronos walked up towards the princess.

"... What do you mean, _why not_?" Melty asked.

"It's just been that way as long as we can remember." Khronos stated. "The humans saw us as mere beast while saw them as mere savages."

He then punts a rock towards the broken wall.

"You'd expect that the [Waves] would unite the two races to face the crisis at large, but it took less than a second to start competing over which one of us can throw the other under the wagon quicker." He bitterly pointed out. "Neither words nor blood will cause either to cease their petty squabbles. Not the Faubley superpower, not the Four Great Families, and certainly not Melromarc."

"Dear..." Malva interjected. "... You're being too hard on her."

"She's the crown princess, dear Malva." Khronos replied. "She's made of sterner things then one would expect of royalty."

He then gazes at the human princess.

"You honestly believe that there's goodwill left in this continent's geopolitical mess? Fine." Khronos stated. "But I warn you, Crown Princess, what you've just went through? The assassination attempts, the betrayals from your flesh and blood, and your current position of being marooned with us, that's only the _beginning_."

The princess shoots a piercing glare at the tiger demi-human ex-noble.

"Don't tell me what I already know."

The tension is then immediately cut off from the sound of a creaking wooden board.

"Goddammit!" Garou's voice cried out in frustration. "Those [Royal Guard] bastards took everything!"

"Right down to the bedsheets and even the beds themselves..." Fubuki commented. "And I thought we were kleptomaniacs..."

The Hakuko twins then come out of the shutters from the other ruined cottage, covered in flour head to toe.

"... We found something." Fohl stated. "... At least about two seconds ago."

Atlas was clinging onto her twin brother's arm.

"... Shutter rat?" Garou pointed out.

Atlas nods while slightly whimpering.

"... I think we've spent enough time around here." Garou stated. "Let's get back to base camp and get you two cleaned up."

**The Next Day...**

**"We're getting nowhere, kid. You sure this is a good idea?" **Grimm pointed out.

"I'm getting that [Cerberus] if it's the last thing that I'm going to do." I retorted. "Don't say that I've gone insane, mainly because I am, so parrot me at your own peril."

I then begin to scratch my neck while grinding my teeth.

"By the way..." I asked. "... How long were we out?"

Because I just noticed that it's been a little_ dark_ for a good while now.

**"... Kid, everyone else is at base camp."**

I then look back, to find _no one_ following.

**"We're the only ones walking by this fucking coastline." **Grimm stated. **"And I'm pretty sure that everyone else is asleep now."**

... Yep.

Half moon tonight.

"... Ugh, forget this-"

I slip off into a pit right in front of me.

"Oww..." I cried out. "... Of course, half moons mean low tides."

I then look in front of me, and notice two things:

One, there is a [Dungeon] entrance right in front of me.

And two...

"... And also the exact same cliff where Raphtalia fell off into." I muttered.

**"Hey kid?"** Grimm spoke out. **"You alright?"**

"Brilliant." I responded. "And quite worth the pain, too."

We both look at the stone gates and back at each other.

**"No."**

"Yes."

Then before we can continue with our little squabble, I hear water rushing behind and _towards_ us.

"GUN IT!"

Without delay, we bolt towards the [Dungeon] entrance.

**WARNING**

**Your party is severely undermanned and underleveled.**

**Your party won't be able to leave the [Dungeon] until completion of exploration.**

**[Encounters], [Traps], and a [Boss Encounter] of extreme leathalility will be present.**

**Would you like to proceed-**

"JUST SHUT UP AND LET US IN!"

**[Yes]**

**Welcome to the [Coral Caverns]!**

**Try not to die!**

Before the waters could take us, the stone gates shut behind us, as the walls of water were impeded by the masonry.

"Haah... Haah..." I heaved out. "That... kinda sucked."

**"You think?"** Grimm replied.

... In hindsight, I might've fucked up.

So complete and utter darkness aside, me and Grimm were sort of dripping wet, cold, and way past our bedtime (right now, it's friggin 11:43 PM), and sort of cranky.

"So..." I stated as I casted [Fireball] for illumination. "... Only way out is forward."

"Agreed." Grimm stated. "... What about your [Summons]?"

... Oh right.

"Strelitzia, Snap, Chip, Curtain, Baraka, Rubicante, [Stygian]."

My [Dryad] wife, [Wight Sniper], [Undead Locust], [Shadow Puppeteer], [Pazuzu], [Ifrit], and recent [Summon] appear around me.

**"What's going on, darling?"** Strelitzia yawned out.** "It's so late..."**

I gulp.

"... I've might've entered a possible deathtrap, and me being without my usual party members, I'm going to need all of your help." I stated.

My [Stygian] looks up at me.

**"State who I should kill, master." **The shadowy demon stated.

"Just watch my back, all you." I ordered. "And whatever you do, don't get separated."

**"Thy sultan's orders are absolute." **Rubicante stated.

Snap rattles in agreement, and Curtain slithers up to my [Wight Sniper].

"So what can do you, Curtain?" I asked the [Shadow Puppeteer].

**"I am a support-type [Undead]."** Curtain stated.** "My role is to reinforce the stats of fellow [Undead] by promoting them into [Captain]-status and increase their performance."**

Yep.

Snap was now a [Wight Sniper Captain], and gained the [Overwatch] (critical rate increases in the duration of stillness) passive.

"What of you, [Stygian]?" I asked the shadowy demon.

**"I just stab things to death with my claws, nothing more."** The [Stygian] stated with his yellow eyes glowing towards me.

"Okay..." I stated. "Anything else?"

**"... I can hide in shadows and swim through them." **

"So you have the [Shadow Dive] skill?" I pointed out.

**"Nay."** The shadowy demon stated.** "I have the [Shadow Walker] passive, which lets me use [Shadow Dive] as a passive skill."**

Too good to pass up.

"Can I [Analyze] it?" I asked.

The demon nods, and I lose my [Shadow Dive] in exchange for [Shadow Walker].

"Thanks." I stated.

**"My essence is that of master's and master's own."** My [Stygian] stated.** "Do as you wish with it."**

"And what of you two?" I asked Strelitzia and Rubicante.

**"I am what you call a generalist."** Strelitzia stated.** "I can attack, defend, heal, create other [Alraunes] and [Trents] to my side, and just about anything that you can imagine, darling~!" **

**"I am a [Fire] caster through and through."** Rubicante stated.** "I've wiped out countless civilizations with my inferno, brought ruin to numerous people to their ashen graves with a single swipe of thy palm, and my flames will devour everything should you will it, my sultan."**

... So Red Mage and Black Mage. Neat.

"Alright." I stated. "Shall we move?"

**"Can't get any worse then this..." **Grimm pointed out.** "Let's move."**

Light in hand, we journey ourselves into the depths.

From the stalactites came droplets that trickled our collective heads, with Chip buzzing around me to cover my blind spots.

With each step taken, the puddle's splash echoes throughout the cavern.

With each step forward, darkness and ambience begin to creep into my consciousness.

With each step further, the dampness begins to soak to my very bones.

"Oi..." I called out. "... Anyone seeing anything in this friggin place?"

Rubicante shakes his head, his flames severely dampened from the cavern's humidity.

**"Ugh... it's so creepy in here."** Strelitzia groaned out.** "And I thought that corals were supposed to be pretty, like in the books we saw back at the [Archive]..."**

It's true.

While the corals themselves were providing some lighting in the dim blackness of these caverns, _blacklight_ is not making things any brighter, nor allivating.

"What the hell's with this place?" I muttered out. "There's gotta be a few rats or bats crawling around here..."

... Then it hit me.

I look up with the dimmed-[Fireball] in hand as light.

All I'm greeted with were teeth.

Just _teeth_.

I tried to run, but the cavern walls confined me into this inescapable box.

Chip tries to fend it off, but the gaping mouths devour them whole.

I raised my arm, as the shark-like teeth sank through my flesh and bone.

I roar out in pain, as the others were engulfed by teeth and tentacles.

I tried to call out to them, but my voice failed to utter out a single decibel.

Then then fangs began to pump something into my veins.

... _Neurotoxin_.

My whole body felt like it was lit on fire, as my mind begins to perceive through all kinds of evil images.

Cages holding rotting_ children's_ corpses.

Guns being fired out towards_ my_ kin back home.

Fire dancing madly throughout the_ Amazons_.

Fascists working to _destroy_ all goodwill that was left in my world.

_Terror_.

Pure_ terror_.

I have to go back.

I have to go back.

I have to go back...

**"... SO I MAY CORRECT THIS ROTTEN WORLD!"**

**[Wrath Text 3] active.**

**"... Burn."**

**[Soul Furnace]**

The blacklight dies within my festival of flames.

**"... Hang on."**

**[Scorch Shackles]**

**"... I'm coming."**

The flames rips the tentacled and toothed masses off of my family.

They're free.

Another mass of tentacles and teeth latch onto my shoulder.

**[Hell Aura-Betrayer]**

I then coat myself in hellfire, cooking this #COOL's (whoever gets the reference gets a cookie) starfish-monster-thingy on my body, killing it.

My flames peter out, and now I'm back down to level 69.

My knees hit the ground, my sweaty palms splash on the bloodied puddles, and my vomit retching from my burning throat, choking me even more.

I then feel faint, and darkness begins to take me-

**"NAN!"**

... The darkness will no longer be my oppressor.

I bite my tongue hard as I could, tasting the blood in my mouth, and got up back to my feet, now overcoming my physical limitations.

"... Sorry about that." I stated. "And thanks for waiting."

I then began to [Analyze] these abominations slithering right in front of me.

**Name: [Mind Flayer]**

**Class: [Rare Encounter]**

**Level: 65**

**Affinites: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic?**

**Item Drops: [Slimey Tendrils x20] (80%), [Black Resin x10] (50%), [Neurotoxin x5] (20%)**

**Attack: 65**

**Defense: 25**

**Agility: 50**

**Luck: 0**

**HP: 600**

**MP: 600**

... Holy shit.

"I survived a [Mind Flayer] attack twice and all it cost me were a few levels and bits my mind, and omigod, I can't believe I just said that-"

**"Kid? Your 12!"**

I shoot a [Fireball] into its mouth, roasting inside out dead.

"Anyone else?" I asked I went back to level 70.

They all come towards me mindlessly.

I spit to the side.

"Kill every last one of them."

None of those [Mind Flayers] were even spared.

Flames, vines, teeth, and magic alike ripped through their ranks like hot knife through butter.

The carnage gradually subsides, with the last, mutilated [Mind Flayer] reaching out towards me in futility.

"... Haah... Haah..."

I stomp it into mush.

***SPLAT***

***SPLAT***

***SPLAT***

As I continued to hammer my heel down _through_ its flesh, I began laughing.

I couldn't stop laughing, for my lungs were now slaves to my kindled-insanity.

My gleeful and uncontrollable howls of misplaced euphoria echo and bellow throughout the depths of the cavern.

***TWACK***

Something hard and cold smacks me across my face.

**"Kid." **

I heard Grimm's voice echoing through my ringing sounds in my head.

**"Stay with us, man."** Grimm stated.** "Don't lose yourself like this!"**

"... Ugh..." I groaned out.

I then look right in front of me, greeted by concerned faces of my family.

"... Oh shit, what've I done?" I muttered out in horror.

**"Nothing too dire, thankfully." **Grimm reassured. **"But concerning that you got bitten by two [Mind Flayers], I'm surprised that you're even forming coherent sentences."**

"What can I say?" I stated. "Insanity never left me completely. Even before I arrived here."

**"I'm glad you're alright though..." **Strelitzia hugged me.

"Thanks, darlin." I pecked her cheek.

I then get back up as I shook my head.

"Now let's get the fuck out of here." I stated as I scraped the [Black Resin] off of my boot.

The next few minutes were quiet, finding peace within the choking dark, slowly soothing my untamable heart to tranquility.

"So..." I stated after I drank and [Intermediate Mana Potion]. "... What did you guys see when those fuckers but you?"

**"... Is this really a good time?" **Grimm pointed out.

"Like vomit, better out than in." I replied.

**"Suit yourself." **Grimm stated. **"So who wants to share first?"**

Strelitzia raises her hand.

"So what did you see?" I asked my [Dryad].

**"... My creation." **She whispered out in horror. **"Of how the [Mutant Seed] was conceived."**

We all began to listen to her story as we continued down the depths.

**"I was but an ordinary [Alraune] seed, still in my [Dryad] mother's womb."** The [Dryad] went on.** "I was ripped out of my mother's body after adventurers have slain her, and me and my kin were delivered to a cave where we were met by several cloaked figures. We were exchanged for gold and as we dove deeper into the depths, the cloaked figures then began chaining down demi-human children from their cages, gutting them open one by one, planting us in their dissected bodies, all in hopes that their village would stave off their famine, under the orders of the kingdom."**

I gulped, holding down my rage and horror.

"... I'm afraid to ask, but how long was it?" I asked.

**"... I do not know."** She answered.** "It could've been decades, centuries, millenia, or even yesterday for all I care. But all I knew were that we were forced to siphon the children's lifeforce in order to survive, not because of our own volition, but because of our forcibly-triggered survival instincts."**

... So they were essentially forcing _children_ to kill each other all for the sake of preventing another food crisis.

"... Also afraid to ask, but how did it end up in failure in the first place?" I asked.

**"... Several of my kin bloomed from their respective corpses, transforming them into nameless abominations, whereas I was a late bloom, still a seed whereas the rest sprouted into monsters beyond human comprehension."** Strelitzia answered.** "In response, several of the cloaked figures set the whole lab on fire, and as the flames began to claim my kin, my host... reached out to me."**

"... Are you implying that those children 'host' were still alive during that time?" I asked.

**"I only realized that my host was clinging onto her life, but I don't know what to say for others." ** She answered. **"All I can say is that they're free after the flames took them, whereas my host gave her life and face to me, right before ripping me out of her chest and used her body as a shield against the flames."**

"... So you're saying that your current appearance!?"

**"They wanted a monster, so they got it." **She bitterly replied. **"If you haven't come to rescue me from that [Spear Hero] bastard, I would've ended up like the others back in the lab."**

"... The price to pay for a supposed noble cause." I shuddered out in horror. "So my [Sacrificial Dagger], how did it dispel your curse?"

**"Your knife acts as an invoker to souls."** She stated.** "It brings out the pure essence of its target."**

"So me turning that church bastard into an [Archangel]..." I muttered out.

Ishmael then reveals himself from Grimm's pages.

**"He was once a good lad, until his zealotry made me his unwilling captive." **My [Dominion] stated. **"My theory is that your unholy dagger brings out the pure essence of whom you stab."**

"So you're saying that in everyone's hearts, they're_ literally_ monsters." I pointed out.

**"... I can only pray that one day, creation shall be freed from their sin that binds them to the Almighty."**

I spit towards the side.

"Thanks for sharing, Strelitzia." I stated. "... Wanna go back into Grimm's pages?"

She disappears into Grimm's pages for a breather.

**"You okay, kid?" **Grimm asked.

I swallow my own vomit.

"... Peachy." I growled out.

I then feel a breeze coming up from ahead.

"We're almost out." I stated. "Just a little more-"

*CLICK*

... Aw crapbaskets.

A scythe-like pendulum blade swings towards me, I hit the deck onto my back, nearly grazing my nose.

The booby trap snaps off of its hinge, landing near Rubicante.

"OMIGOD! YOU OKAY!?" I cried out in panic.

**"... Still whole, sultan." **

"Good." I stated as I got back up. "Everyone, recall."

All of my [Summons] return to Grimm's pages.

"Alright, let's move."

Me and Grimm move towards where the wind was blowing from, and as we got closer to the source of wind...

... A barely-closed stone door, with the drift of wind flowing through the gap.

"... Yeesh." I sighed out.

I then inspect the gap in the door.

"... Nope, can't see shit." I muttered out. "Anything, Grimm?"

My [Forbidden Tome] tries to cram through the door.

**"Nah."** He stated.** "Can't fit."**

"Well shit." I muttered.

Wait.

"... This place is a [Dungeon], so this has to have an opening schematic." I stated.

I then began to inspect the surrounding walls in the cavern.

"Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope..." I muttered out. "There's gotta be a slot or a switch somewhere..."

My hands then brush against a rectangular hole.

"... Grimm, I need ya over here." I asked.

**"What is it?"** Grimm asked.

"Can you fit in here?" I asked Grimm while pointed at the slot.

He then fixes himself into the rectangular slot, fitting in perfectly.

The slot glows bright green contrast to the blacklight, as the stone door opens up on its own.

"Finally..." I stated.

Just out of impulse, I break off a coral branch, and the glow still works.

**"Why you did that, kiddo?"** Grimm asked.

"Dunno." I stated. "Just get a feeling that I might need blacklight for something. You know, Chekhov's Gun and whatnot."

**"Fair enough." **

We then head into the door, with the stone hatch closing behind me.

"... Thought so." I muttered as I waved my [Black Coral] around for illumination.

When the light shone against the walls, I saw written text on it.

"... Day... 145?" I muttered out.

Here's what the text read out.

**Day 145**

**It's been several months since I've fled from the [Three Heroes Inquisitors] and other mob pursuits, constantly running and finding myself sealed in these depths without sunlight or any substance.**

**But I fear not the shadows of death, for I already have several contingency plans to prevent my work from being deterred.**

**As of writing this, I've run out of pages on my journal so I've taken it upon myself to continue my writing in [Black Resin] from the cave's [Mind Flayers].**

I then look down on my boots, and shine the blacklight over it.

"... Huh." I remarked at the glowing green ink on my [Mire Boots]. "Neato."

**I die of starvation or dehydration? Normally, one would resort to eating the [Mind Flayers] around here, but upon tasting one, it was to be my last.**

**So the alternative; use the [Lich's Heart] and transform myself into an [Undead] post-mortem, so that food and water will no longer be a necessity.**

**Run out of space on the walls to write? Cave is big enough, and entrance is hidden under the tides, so detection will be kept at the utmost minimum.**

**Keeping time? I have the [World Serpent's Hourglass] and the [Portable Dragon's Hourglass] with me to keep track of how much time has passed for me.**

**Now? I will continue with my work as planned.**

**Notice: If someone finds and reads this, note that I am now a [Lich Thaumaturge]; do not attack for I mean no harm.**

"... Grimm." I stated. "We've might've stumbled onto something rather... _enlightening_, shall we say."

**"Since when we haven't?"**

"Fair enough."

We then continue onward, reading more writings on the walls along the way.

"Day 269, I've found a [Lich Leviathan] and harvested its [Lich's Heart] for possible future uses..." I muttered out to myself. "Dammit, I wanted a [Leviathan]..."

"Day 381, I've found another like-minded individual washed up in the depths, and him being at death's door, I implanted him with the [Lich's Heart], turning him into a [Lich Necromancer]." I read out loud. "Note; do not attack. Got it."

More and more writings came to alight.

"Day 423, a fox demi-human washes ashore, and in her possession, several scrolls, tomes, and artifacts were on her person..." I glowered through. "... Later turned her into a [Lich Sage] from a [Lich's Heart] that she was carrying. Also not attack, got it."

Around our feet, several papers with faded writing and broken quills were scattered about.

"Are these..."

The papers were like... pages.

"... What's going on here?" I asked.

"I can answer that for you."

Behind me, I saw a [Lich] clad in a simple blue robe and golden ornaments holding a book in its arms.

"... I'm assuming you're the [Lich Thaumaturge]?" I asked the cloaked [Lich].

"Yes." The [Undead] nodded. "My name is Kuza, former living scholar of the [Heroes] branded heretic by the [Church of Three Heroes] turned [Lich Thaumaturge]."

"Nan, former [Tome Hero] turned [Tome Fallen] after setting Melromarc's Royal Palace on fire." I stated. "And this peculiar companion of mine is Grimm, the [Forbidden Tome]."

"Hold it." Kuza stopped me right before he approached closer to me, as if he was investigating me.

"Umm, do you need anything from me?" I asked.

Kuza then falls to his knees, weeping from his dry eye sockets.

"After centuries of being persecuted..." He weeped out. "After all that running and hiding..."

From his stifled words, I connected the dots.

"... I'm assuming there's more to this story?" I asked.

"I supposed then you are willing to listen." Kuza stated. "Come, the others are waiting."

I then follow Kuza further in.

We then enter through a hidden door, with Kuza's runes on his gunmetal-black bones reacting to it, causing the door to spin open.

"We're here." Kuza stated.

I then look around the room that we found ourselves in.

Bookshelves towering around us like skyscrapers, countless desks manned by [Liches], [Wraiths], [Gnolls] (basically nastier [Werehyenas]) and [Elder Mind Flayers] (humanoid/traditional D&D depticions of [Mind Flayers]), all of them occupied by their work, penning something down on parchments, stacking one on a pile next to each of them, right before working on another parchment. The floors and lighting, contrast to the drab and haunting atmosphere outside, the interiors here were clean, bright, and above all else, neat, nary a speck of dust on the surface of the floor that we've tread upon. Air was present, but not to the point where a wild animal would fit through the gaps, but enough for living beings to thrive and work without cease.

"Holy shit..." I gasped out. "A goddamn library?"

"This, dear [Tome Hero]..." Kuza stated. "... Is the [Scriptorium]."

"You guys write books or something?" I asked.

"Not mere books, Sir [Hero]." Kuza stated. "We restore [Tomes]."

I then saw the pages stacked next to one of the desks.

The texts were all incantations for spells like [Petrification], [Resurrection], [Meteor], [Cyclone], [Earthquake], and friggin' **[Unlimited Blade Works]**.

"Grimm, pinch me. I must be dreaming." I muttered out listlessly from the sheer awesomeness presented before me. "If I do end up becoming the Hero of Justice, then I want you to bite a massive chunk off of me, got it?"

**"... I just read through your brain, and honestly, I having blades for skin ain't so bad."** Grimm stated.

"Oh, you mean to refer to this?"

Kuza then hands me a book with its covers adorned with images of swords.

"... An [Armory Grimoire]?" I stated. "A [Tome] weapon?"

... Suddenly, remembering Dark Ages history made me connect the dots.

"Grimm." I asked my [Forbidden Tome]. "You think this whole [Scriptorium] is!?"

**"... Yeah." "Some of these books... The [War Records of the Lost Conqueror]... [Guide to Human Anatomy Volume 1]... the [Kama Sutra]-"**

"Okay, stop right there." I stated as I faced Kuza. "So let guess. The reason why you're restoring these books... is because that they're prohibited by the [Church of the Three Heroes] for being 'heretical', and upon saying all that, I have to ask, am I missing any part of this overarching story, and if so, please, tell me." I begged.

With a sigh, Kuza raises his hand, signaling all of the scribes in the room to move their work elsewhere.

"Andron, Meil, stay." Kuza ordered the two other [Liches] to stay in the main [Scriptorium].

The two others were a [Lich Necromancer] and a [Lich Sage] respectively, with Andron dressed in mostly black and skull-ornamented rings on his boney fingers, and Meil was dressed in a white and red cloak with golden cross-like ornaments all over this [Lich].

"So..." I asked as I sat down. "... Actually, I think my friend here would be more suited to asked you folk."

My [Forbidden Tome] then floats upwards towards eye to eye to the three [Liches].

**"Tell me..."** Grimm asked.** "... Who am I?"**

"... I shall tell you." Kuza began. "To put it simply, you're the very first [Tome] that I managed to restore."

We both look at each other in disbelief.

"... So Grimm's memories were-"

"Not quite." Kuza cut me off. "The [Legendary Tome] was less of a weapon, but more of a [Hybrid Weapon] between a [Tome] and a [Mimic], resulting in an incomplete restoration of the original [Tome Hero]'s [Legendary Tome]."

**"... So I'm a monster without a name?"** Grimm stated.

"Not quite." Kuza stated. "You were a creature that had the ability to endlessly learn new things through recording and observation. With the [Legendary Weapon]'s ability of [Replication], [Refinement], and [Material Absorption], you are the ultimate lifeform designed to memorize all of the world's knowledge. A book with infinite pages, a walking archive of universal history, and above all else, fruit of our labors, the [Enigmatic Tome]. Forever unknown, yet forever remembered. The physical representation of all of man's hubris, greed, and imperfection. The replica of the [Pandora's Box] that we, the [Scribes], have been pursuing ever since the original [Tome Hero] dragged all of us into the muck!"

"Wait, about the original [Tome Hero], I must ask two questions about it." I stated. "One, what did the original do to cause this all to happen to you all, and two, how many [Tome Heroes] were there before me?"

"I can answer that." Meil spoke out as she raised her hand.

"Please." I begged.

With a heave from her long-hollowed-out chest, she began to speak.

"The very first [Tome Hero], Kyo Ethnina, went mad with power upon learning the [Summon] ability." Meil stated. "With it, he'd [Summoned] [Wendigos] and [Bat Wraiths[ alike to swarm the whole world, and as the final act of spite upon being cornered by the [Four Cardinal Heroes], he's merged his own soul with the holy beast deity, [Xuanwu, The Turtle Spirit]."

"... You mean the [Spirit Turtle] that is currently sealed away, and should it be unleashed, it will most likely sink this entire _continent_ that we're sitting on to the bottom of the ocean in its rampage!?" I pointed out.

Meli nods.

"Holy shit..." I gasped out in horror. "... I can see why the king wants me dead, and building off of that, it's because of that one bad rep, that the rest of the [Tome Heroes] down the line were branded as witches and were hunted down like dogs, correct?"

"We thought that all of our hope was lost when the [Enigmatic Tome] was thrown into the pyre along with the rest of my work..." Andron muttered out. "... I am grateful that all of our work wasn't in vain."

I wipe my sweat off of my brows.

"So how many of my predecessors were hunted down?" I asked. "Do you know who they were, and if so, did they managed to get away?"

"... All I can say was that there were _21_ previous [Tome Heroes]." Kuza stated. "17 of them were captured and executed, 2 vanished from the annals of history, with their fates unknown, and the rest lived to die of old age or sickness, with the 20th hero managing to find his final resting place in this very depths."

"... So that makes me number 22." I realized. "Wait, the [Heroes] haven't been around that long, right?"

"I'm afraid so, dear [Tome Hero]." Kuza replied. "The reason why there were so many of your fallen brethren were due to those witch hunts that claimed their lives. Other [Heroes] were only around 8 to 9 times in comparison."

... Holy shit, this is what happens to [Heroes] when they no public support?

At least the [Shield Hero] has Siltvelt and to lesser extent, Shieldfreeden, but my status as the [Tome Hero]?

... I dunno if I should feel offended that I'm branded as a witch from day one, or that fact that the [Three Heroes Church] was flat-out ignoring me in favor of the [Shield Hero].

"Thankfully, after the 16th, the casualties began to subside, and we were able to work in peace." Kuza stated.

I slump against one of the bookshelves surrounding me, completely in shock of this whole revelation.

"... Grimm."

**"Yeah?"**

I grind my teeth.

"They view the [Tome Hero] as a monster, all because of that Kyo bastard went AWOL on the whole world, correct?"

**"... You thinking what I'm thinking?"**

I then approach the [Liches].

"Alright then." I stated. "I have a favor to ask of all of you."

"We're listening."

... Gonna kill two birds with one stone.

"I want the whole entirety of the [Scriptorium], all of its contents and staff members to join me." I demanded.

"But how will you carry out all of our work?" Meil asked. "There's roughly two centuries worth of work in here!"

I smile.

"... Who here has heard of the [Archive]?"

But before we get to the obvious (they all said yes after I replicated all of their work with my [Portable Dragon's Hourglass] adding the entire [Scriptorium] into the [Archive]), there were the matters of regarding their [Cerberus].

And by that, cue _John Wick_ suit-up montage.

First, new left arm, the [Lemegeton], a prosthetic left arm classified as a [Tome]/[Gauntlet] [Hybrid Weapon] that its pages are located around the forearm, sealed with chains wrapped around it, and each page contains a spell that can be used without incantation (at the cost of unable to use their [Zweit-] or higher variants).

Slight problem, the arm socket's connection was to be directly connected to the rest of my nervous system in order to function/stump has needles and they hurt like balls.

I check my arm's articulation, and it works just fine.

The needles drilled into my flesh and marrow were surprisingly stable, and the arm itself was strong enough to punch through solid stone at minimum output, so there's that.

Then, my new primary, the [Grimoire Heart] (probably a Fairy Tail reference), a [Tome]/[Musket]/magical .50 Magnum Revolver [Hybrid Weapon] that fires rolled up-pages that it provides around its grip without limit, firing all sorts of magic, from basic, [Non-Elemental] mana shots to whatever elemental bombardment that the sickest and the most profane of minds can come up with, but it comes at the cost of the spells being randomly generated, so there's impracticality, but to quote Revy from Black Lagoon; **"As long as you hit your target, any gun will do the trick"**.

One test fire later, I shot [Plasma Net] to a [Mind Flayer] that tried to jump me from behind, bitch was sliced calamari.

"... Mmm, tastes like chicken." I commented as I ate the roasted [Mind Flayer].

"You actually like eating that?" Kuza commented.

"What, you don't like cephalopods?" I asked.

"... Yes."

After the quick snack, I was then placed on a operating table.

... With a massive needle over my right eye.

_"... I'm seriously getting Dead Space 2 vibes right now."_ I thought.

"Fret not." The [Elder Mind Flayer] reassured. "My [Paralyse] spell rendered your body immobile, so this operation will be over in a cinch... _should_ your [Geas] remain intact, that is."

The cthulhu-humanoid straps on his latex gloves.

"Should your right eye be destroyed, at least the operation won't involve the table, but least we can do is not be wasteful. After all, it's only easy to implant an additional [Geas], but crafting one? Heavens, no."

I couldn't even gulp, for my whole body was [Stunned].

"I am Dr. Lovecraft, and you'll only feel a pinch."

The needle goes into my [Geas], and a surge of mana is pumped into my whole body.

My right eye was now being... _upgraded_. With new spells, functions, and might I add, extra badassery.

"[Geas-Mind Diver] is now upgraded into [Mystic Geas-Puppeteer]." My HUD tells me as the bindings around my arms and legs were freed.

I was now freed from my [Stunned] aliment, and took a look at myself at the mirror.

"... At least I don't have snow-white hair and a vampire loli." I commented. "Although I can go without my right eye looking like a literal gemstone, but eh, no shame in showing."

And finally, they hand me... a deck box with a flip-out opening.

This Kamen Rider Blade deck thingy was the [Sibylline], a [Tome]/[Projectile] [Hybrid Weapon] that uses cards that I can throw at things to unleash the 52 [Daemons] of varying levels of power. So a good secondary should my options run thin.

"So with all that, I must thank you all." I stated.

"Of course." Kuza stated. "And as per request, we will join you on your journey."

"Well, come on in, then." I stated.

"[Scribes] added to [Summon-Battalion]." My HUD stated. "[Summon-Battalion] skill, learned."

"Wait, [Summon-Battalion]?" I muttered out.

And speak of the devil, another message.

**Fun Fact: [Summon-Battalion]**

**Wow! You've unlocked the [Battalion] feature!**

**And since I'm so nice, allow me to teach you what's what!**

**[Battalions] are like [Summons], but instead of a group of individuals, you got yourself a collective of [Summons] that you can [Summon] as a group!**

**Benefits of a [Battalion] can include boosted stats, additional passives, and access to [Gambits], skills that can only be used as some sort of combo attacks to devastate the battlefield, but be careful! They only have a few uses every deployment.**

**And the best part?**

**Any one of your party members can individually command a [Battalion] of their own, so yeah, your dreams of having an army of badasses is almost a reality!**

**And as a gift from me, here's an additional [Battalion] and [Title]!**

"[Rebel Infantry] added to [Summon-Battalion]." My HUD stated. "[Rising Conqueror] title unlocked."

"Alright then."

I then look back at the now-empty [Scriptorium].

"... Just in case, let's take everything here before anyone else does." I stated.

**"Agreed." **

**One House Cleaning, Trap Resetting, and Disposing all Evidence Later...**

Thank god, Grimm's a sentient hammerspace.

"You feeling okay, buddy?" I asked my [Forbidden Tome].

**"Eh, can't feel anything to begin with, so can't feel full or heavy."** Grimm stated. **"But still, I can't believe that I'm part-[Mimic]."**

"And you think I have a problem with that?" I asked.

**"... Oh right. Been with you since day one, so no need to worry about it."**

We then both share a laugh.

"Well, I smell dog shit and piss coming from up ahead." I stated.

Then heavy panting.

And a [Mind Flayer].

"[Capture]."

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me, fool me again, then one of us will die.

"... Let's get this over with, Grimm."

We then walk toward where the air began to smell like sulfur.

The steel gates close behind us, and in front of us, the three-headed beast drooled onto us.

Three pairs of glowing red eyes, three rows of teeth, and three sets of roars, all bellowing towards the two of us.

**Cerberus**

**Three heads are better than one (Their names are Bud, Lou, and Harley)**

"... Now that I think about it, why did they have a [Cerberus]?" I pointed out.

Then Kuza's head appears from Grimm's pages.

"We... might've picked them up after the [Wave] as our guard dog." Kuza stated. "Although it's less 'guard dog', but more akin to... 'symbiotic adjunct'."

I sighed out.

"... Can I have it?"

**Switching POV: L'Arc**

The [Scythe Saint] lets out a loud yawn after being roused from his slumber.

"Ugh..." He groaned out. "... I friggin' hate mornings."

As his eyes were readjusting to the coming daylight, he then spots an imposing silhouette.

His eyes then slowly adjust to see a three-headed dog.

"Oh shit." L'Arc gasped out as he ran for his [Sacred Scythe].

"What's going on, L'Arc?" Theresa yawned out.

"EVERYONE!" He cried out. "MONSTER APPROACHING TOWARDS BASE CAMP!"

Everyone in base slowly notices the beast prowling towards their direction.

Which then prompts everyone to grab their weapons and head towards the ruined village's entrance, posting up barricades, and steeling themselves for the coming battle-

"Waitaminute..." L'Arc spoke out.

He then spots someone riding on top of the beast.

"Crazy bastard..."

He then runs ahead towards the beast.

"NAN, YOU BASTARD!" L'Arc barked out. "WHAT THE HELL'S WITH THE DAMN SCARE!?"

L'Arc swings his fist toward Nan's face.

Something catches his knuckle.

"Yo."

From the hood, a familiar face was seen.

"Sorry about the scare." Nan spoke out. "Got lost on the way back, but managed to pick up some good shit along the way."

"Including a [Cerberus]." L'Arc pointed out. "... Again, coming from _you_, that's the least surprising shit that you brought to the table right now."

The others come from behind and see that their leader had brought and entire horde of [Liches], [Wraiths],[Gnolls], and [Elder Mind Flayers] with him.

"... So what's with the new arm?" L'Arc asked.

"This?" Nan showed off his new left arm, its forearm made of pages bound by iron chains. "These guys installed it for me."

Nan then gets off of the [Cerberus]'s back.

"But before we cover on that..." Nan stated. "Everyone, take five."

With a snap of a finger, the [Cerberus] and the horde all were whisked away into the [Forbidden Tome]'s pages.

"Now then..." Nan stated as he wrapped his arm around L'Arc's shoulder. "... Boy, do I've got quite a story to tell."

L'Arc then notices several teeth marks on his right arm, looking slightly _off-color_.

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Phew, managed to squeeze this one out between college.

I've just noticed that over the course of writing this fic, I've been taking into account that every major character in ROTSH are deconstructions of their character archetype.

So Mood-Rollercoaster, the Epic aside, I think I did good. And now shit's about to go down.

And my SI is no different either, so here are my SI's **Deconstructed Character Archetypes (and spoilers: there's a lot):**

**Cool People Rebel Against Authority: **SI is not a role model, despite looking really badass while doing so. Doing the right thing should be from one's own altruism, never by example.

**Dangerously Genre Savvy: **Makes him look more suspicious to the others due to his awareness of what's going on. Made even worse that the SI prefers to use that to his advantage, even though it's in his best interest not to so.

**Dark Shepherd: **SI ultimately means well, but all he does is instituting more potential psychopaths, turning this trope into that of an unwitting** Toxic Friend Influence**.

**The Dreaded: **Do they trust him or fear him? Either way, the SI is really hard to approach and understand in the first place, made even worse by the fact that SI has poor communication skills in the first place, adding fuel to the fire.

**Good Counterpart/Lesser of Two Evils: **SI will mostly/always be compared to Malty, and even though he's not as bad as her comparatively, it still means that the general public sees him as a threat to order regardless, and the fact that there's a bounty on his head, so persecution is still present.

**Idiot Savant:** Intelligent? Yes. Inconsistent? Hell yes. Trustworthy? 50/50.

**Mechanically Unusual Class: **The [Tome Hero] is such a departure for the typical RPG-classes, that he might as well be from a completely different genre altogether, conflicting with other [Heroes] to the point where cooperation is almost impossible due to the clashing combat philosophies.

**No Social Skills/Monster Advocate: **It is nigh-impossible for the SI to relate with anyone other then [Encounters] and [Summons], making him out to be some sort of monster as well, resulting in persecution, eventually graduating into** Boomerang Bigot/Misanthrope Supreme**.

**Token Evil Teammate/Villain Protagonist:** He's unpleasant to work with unless said person is on the same wavelength as SI. Made even worse, the SI not the kind of person you would normally root for.

**Visionary Villain/Well-Intentioned Extremist: **To himself, SI sees this world as a template for great change that he'll harald. To the others? A complete psychopath that needs to be stopped lest millions die in his mad crusade against the injustices that the ignorant masses are held under unknowingly and unwillingly.

**Unscrupulous Hero: **Completely loses all public support and seen as a bigger threat then the [Waves], which, in all honesty, is not unfounded.

Now, Amnesia Clues:

**[Grimm]: **[Book Burning], [Witch Trials], [Part-Mimic Biology], [21 previous Tome Heroes]

**[Genbu****?****]: **[20-Sided Die]

**IRL Note: **My dad's about to be released from the hospital around this week at best!

College is a bitch at my free time, but I managed to finish my first week's worth of homework!

Made this Epic extra-long to make up for the amount of time that I might not have doing fanfic and whatnot!

Someone on tumblr is now doing fanart for my Black Clover AU fic (still work-in-progress)!

Either way, wish me luck IRL!

* * *

**_Stat Updates (Current Party during [Dungeon] exploration):_**

**_Updated to add the [Battalion]_**

* * *

**Name: [Rising Conqueror] [Nan Hon-Jah]**

**Class: [Tome Fallen]**

**Level: 75**

**Affinites: [All Eight Elements]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Mad**

**Equipment: [Forbidden Tome, Grimm the Heretic], [Grimoire Heart], [Lemegeton], [****Sibylline****], [Necromancer's Robes]. [Mire Boots], [Wight's Rune of Spite], [Silver Wolf's Maw], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Visage of Madness], [Mystic Geas: Puppeteer], [Portable Dragon's Hourglass]**

**Battalion: [Scribes]**

**Attack: 86 (+195)**

**Defense: 83 (+10)**

**Agility: 84 (+75)**

**Luck: 76 (+85)**

**HP: 640 (+95)**

**MP: 730 (+305)**

* * *

So, what do you guys think of this Epic?

How will our SI fare after getting bitten by two [Mind Flayers]?

How will the others react to his insane journey?

And how quickly will Rabier's lands be set ablaze like the surface of the goddamn sun?

Leave a comment or a review for this Epic, for I'd love to know what my audiences are thinking!


	21. Epic 21: The Rampage Part 1

**_Continuing self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_Waiting for Season 2..._**

**_Finger Count: 5/10_**

**_Eye Count: 2/2_**

**_Sanity Meter: 19%_**

**_Death Counter: 1_**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

_**Epic 21: The Rampage Part 1**_

* * *

"Alright everyone, stay frosty." I stated quietly.

After roughly two weeks of traversing the land, we've finally reached Rabier's lands.

Opulent, like a German fairy tale castle.

... But like all _German_ fairy tales, it gets really fucked up around some time (my favorite's Hansel and Gretel, BTW).

"Umm, Nan?" Fohl asked.

"Make it quick." I replied.

"Why are we_ all_ wearing tree branches tied around our heads?"

Looking back, everyone (including _Grimm_) in my little army were wearing tree branches tied around their heads, no matter how ridiculous it may have looked.

"Camouflage." I replied. "Might as well take advantage of the surrounding terrain. Field tactics 101."

**"Dude, we cut down_ three _whole trees to make these covers for the whole army."** Grimm pointed out. **"I think someone's gonna notice three stumps lying surrounded by other trees."**

"You honestly think that _bloated tick_ of a noble would be smart enough to extend his patrols in the wilderness?" I pointed out.

"... He has a point." Khronos pointed out. "I mean, he got played by _Aultcray_, out of all people."

"Post-senility, I presume?" I asked.

Melty nods in hesitant agreement.

"So tell me..." L'Arc asked me from behind. "What are we getting out of this little raid?"

I sigh out before answering.

"Okay, here it is, then." I stated. "One, what kind shit do you think is in a castle surrounded by a very steep grotto, with the only thing connecting it being a flimsy-ass bridge and a pencil-thin gated bridge?"

"... So what you're implying is basic looting and plunder." Glass bit out. "Shallow, coming from you, of all people."

"... Yes and no, actually." I replied. "Sure, the fat bastard has enough gold to burn to make a mansion out of smaller mansions, and enough food to make a flock of gluttonous [Filolials] puke..."

Suzaku shoots me a sharp glare.

"... No offense." I pointed out.

"None taken." The red-haired boy huffed.

"... So anywho, here's the real prize." I stated. "There are two items of interest that caught my interest. One, a giant-ass monster is sealed inside the rock that the castle itself is sitting on, presumably by the previous [Three Cardinal Heroes]."

"Of course..." Malva sighed out sardonically.

"And two." I continued on. "I might be BS-ing on this, but what are the chances of nobility hoarding a potentially-rare item or [Equipment] without knowing what it really is?"

"Chances of that are... _surprisingly likely_, now that I think about it." Theresa sweatdropped.

"I can literally smell the stored gold and artifacts stored in that castle through the stones that make up the foundation of that little rock." Atlas pointed out. "And no, the implications of how they were all earned are_ far_ _worse_ than you've anticipated."

"Thank you clearing that up." I stated to Atlas. "... Now, with all that said, are there any questions?"

I spot Rio's, Seiryu's, Rino's, Melty's, and Genbu's hands shot up in the air.

"Alright Rio, shoot."

"So about infiltrating that castle, how are we gonna do this without setting off alarms around the surrounding provinces?" Rio asked.

"Funny you should mention that." I replied. "You that sole bridge connecting that rock to mainland?"

"... I don't think we have bombs." Rio pointed out. "Not only that, but we'll also be trapped too if that thing goes down-"

"I have a [Ziz] with [Gale Aura]." I replied. "You can already say that _bridge_ has been already crossed."

_*Ba Dum Chhh*_

"You suck, Nan." Rio pointed out.

"Of that, I am painfully aware." I replied. "Next, Rino."

The cloaked girl stands up.

"Should sthealth fail, how do we approach it?" She asked. "Force or just cut and run?"

"Stupid question." I snapped. "Mop the halls of that castle red with their spilled entrails, but only if I give clearance, understood?"

She nodded.

"Alright, Seiryu." I stated. "Talk to me."

"On regards on if we do get busted, what's the signal?" The [Tyrera Queen Spell Fencer] asked.

"Oof, tough one." I stated. "Should things go horribly wrong... I make an explosion. Loud, and destructive, good?"

"No complaints." She replied.

"Alright Melty." I stated. "Make it quick."

The pigtailed crown princess takes a deep breath before asking.

"I'm painfully aware that Idol Rabier is a despicable man that even my scum of a father despises, and that he deserves what's to come..." She stated (the obvious). "... But what thing we are about to do, aren't we doing the same thing?"

The whole group goes quiet upon hearing her statement.

"... You're right." I stated, breaking the silence. "What we are about to do is the definition of 'pay evil unto evil', and hell, that's my whole shitick since I got here."

"... Then why, [Tome Fallen]?" Melty simply asked.

I rub my face before answering.

"... Because _someone_ has to do it." I replied. "Guilty or innocent, all are culpable under the only true sin of man; ignorance."

I stood up.

"Their ideology, their blood." I continued on. "The _young_, the _old_, and the _weak_. All of them will die like the fools that they've become. No point of exercising in futility, especially when time must be used sparingly."

All Melty can do was shed a few quiet tears.

"... I pray that you don't become a real monster." The princess stated.

"You're not the only one, princess." I grimly replied. "... Alright. Philosophical tangent over, what's on your mind, Genbu?"

**"Is there booze in the castle?"** The [Gremlin] asked.

"... Dude, it's gonna be a rough night, so can you save some for the others?" I begged.

**"Save at least three barrels for me, ya hear, laddie?"** Genbu requested.

"Two, and no more." I snapped.

**"Yea yea, got it."** Genbu stated right before swigging his flask.

"Alright then, everyone ready?" I asked.

Everyone nods.

"Here's the plan..." I stated.

**Several Minutes Later...**

"... Are there any questions?" I asked the group.

No one protests.

"Alright." I stated. "Now break."

The group splits into four different directions.

Garou's group, composed of Garou, Fubuki, Wyndia, Rino, Rio, and about one-third of the [Rebel Infantry] circles around the front of the castle, staying in the surrounding forest to keep recon and take out any outer patrols, culling the herd little by little.

L'Arc's group, composed of the [Scythe Saint], Theresa, Glass, and the remaining two-thirds of the [Rebel Infantry], all head towards the thicket nearest to the castle gate, with L'Arc and his [Magus] girlfriend scouting around town as distraction, with Glass keeping the bulk of the general raid party out of sight from prying eyes.

Khronos's group, composed of the entirety of the remaining Hakuko family, Byakko, Alpha, Beta, Chi, Seiryu, Suzaku, and Melty, all head towards the rear of the castle, set up there as an ambush party in case if something goes awry in the plan, in which then they just start bombarding the castle with magic, gunfire, or run-to-the-mill pugilism.

As for me, it's just me, Grimm, and Genbu...

... Currently scaling the cliffs around the moat, slowly inching our way down into the waters.

"Anything down there?" I asked Grimm.

**"All I see underneath that water are dead things."** Grimm stated.** "You sure you wanna do this?"**

I then see something floating underwater.

"Is that a fucking alligator?" I asked.

**"Aye aye, captain obvious." **Genbu mumbled from my shoulders.

"Alright then..." I sighed out. "... Ignoring that, I think we found our break-in point."

We all look up at the bridge way above our heads.

"Gonna be uphill from here, but hey, beats being gator bait." I stated.

**"[Shadow Dive]?"**

"Comin' right up."

Us three then sink into the shadows cast by the bridge, and then we slowly head upwards like salmon skipping on a waterfall, minus the skipping.

Because we're badasses.

I then overhear the guards conversing, while looking towards the castle gates, seeing it slowly open.

"Grimm, ETA?"

**"Approximately 5 minutes before that sucker shuts on us."** Grimm informed.** "Whatever you're planning to do with that bridge, make it quick."**

"Copy."

We slip back into the darkness below the bridge, with Grimm and Genbu hanging off of each other, while I plant [Magma Mine]s and [Scatter Mine]s in my trail.

**Switching POV: Garou**

The wolf-[Brawler] has been put in charge of leading his own group.

On regards of running into any patrols, none so far.

"Guess he right..." Garou muttered to himself. "... The lord is dumb enough to neglect the forest around him."

From the thrushes, Fubuki pops out, her white hair covered in leaves.

"Brother, I've eliminated a few drunk [Royal Guards] by the dirt road." The fox-[Monk] stated.

"Did you hide their bodies?" Garou asked.

"Even better; I fed to Gaelion." The fox-girl smiled.

The wolf-boy goes silent for a few moments before his brains sparks itself back into reality.

"... Remind me how you managed to keep a fucking [Dragon Emperor] hidden." Garou asked his twin sister.

"Oh, killed em myself." Fubuki explained. "Can't be eyewitnesses if they don't live to tell the tale, right?"

A scream before a "crunch" sound was heard away from there.

"Fubuki..." Garou chided.

"I'll tell Wyndia to cut it out." Fubuki stated. "God forbid if she eats the bodies _herself_..."

The fox-[Monk] walks away, with the wolf-boy following suit.

"... You've got to be kidding me."

The twins find Wyndia trying to light a fire over a villager tied over a spit with Gaelion's [Salamander Emperor] form, with Yaelia in her [Drakelich Empress] form pinning down Rino and Rio.

"I tried to stop her..." Rio mumbled from the dirt. "... But her foster parents happened to be monster royalty."

Garou facepalms as he snaps the female villager's neck with a swift stomp-kick across her lower jaw.

"We're going to get caught at this rate..."

**Switching POV: L'Arc**

The [Scythe Saint] his [Magus] compatriot were walking around town, greeted by the occasional drunk and local adventurers.

"Pardon me..." L'Arc asked a [Myrmidon] adventurer.

"Yeah, what do you need at this hour?" The adventurer asked.

"You mind telling me who's in that castle over there?" L'Arc asked. "We're not from around here, and we don't have enough money to crash by a tavern..."

"Hmm, alright. I guess I can spare you two some pity, with being me getting back from killing [Werepanthers] by the pasture..." He grumbled. "So... about that castle over there?"

He points towards the ivory-colored spires from the distance.

"... There lies Marquis Idol Rabier." The adventurer stated. "Ever since he took over back when I was just a wee lad, he was like your any typical lord. You know, charging slightly-above taxes, sitting on his fat ass doing nothing, but he sure as hell left us good townsfolk alone."

L'Arc and Theresa glance at each other.

"... But, there have some rather... _disturbing_ rumors about him." The aged adventurer stated. "I mean, its normal around a human-majority kingdom, but you think it would at least subside after a good while, but no..."

"Tell us, please." L'Arc asked the adventurer.

"I'll make it quick." He stated. "Every once a blue moon, he goes to a slave market to buy up a boatload of demi-human kids to use as his personal torture dolls, and that he's a borderline _fanatic_ in the faith of the [Three Heroes Church]."

The two parallel-worlders look at each other in various states horror, seeing a complete-180 to their own relationship with other races back in their decaying world.

"... Just a thought, why are you telling us this?" L'Arc asked.

"Peh, I'm 57, single, and didn't get to be no [Hero], for sure." He stated. "I'm just doing adventurer work so I can gather enough gold to retire at a condo by a mountainside near Shieldfreeden. At least there, it's relatively quiet compared to the whole shitshow of Melromarc. And besides, I've been spouting the same damn bloody thing for over 40 years, and you sure as hell don't see me serving time."

**"I agree." **An _ominous_ voice uttered out behind the adventurer.

Behind the [Myrmidon] a [Shadow] jumps out of the darkness with a pair of [Silver Sickles] in hand.

**"You'll serve an eternity in the depths of hell!"**

The adventurer pulls out a [Poisoned Silver Glaive] as the assailant attacked him.

The sickles graze over his right cheek as the [Shadow] dodged away from the shaft.

"Old man!"

L'Arc then swipes the [Shadow] with his [Sacred Scythe], drawing blood from his back, right before the aged adventurer stakes the downed [Shadow] with his poisoned glaive.

"Haah... he's dead." The aged adventurer stated. "Welp, there goes my retirement plans."

The [Myrmidon] looks at the two with suspicion.

"... Y'all ain't no ordinary adventuring folk, arentya?" The [Myrmidon] pointed out.

The two exchange a glance at each other.

"L'Arc?"

The [Scythe Saint] then looks at the aged adventurer.

"... You wanna talk somewhere else?" L'Arc asked. "Because I think we're being followed."

"Not my first time." The old adventurer stated. "... Name's _Dunban_, by the way. Nice to meet ya fine folk."

"L'Arc, and the lady next to me is Theresa. Pleasure to keep company." The red-haired [Scythe Saint] greeted.

Theresa then casts [Bejeweled Moonstone Veil] to mask their presence away from the prying eyes.

**Switching POV: Melty Q. Melromarc**

In all cases, the crown princess of Melromarc was not having a good day.

The only reason on why she's sticking around was that if she made a run for it elsewhere...

... Let's just say that she has a higher survival rate _as_ roadkill then leaving it to pure chance.

Next to her, Byakko and the other [Perfected Homunculus] maids and butler were watching over their whole group.

Khronos meanwhile, he himself was surveying the surrounding areas with his son and Seiryu, leaving Suzaku to watch over Melty's aunt and cousin.

The Hakuko girl then approaches Melty.

"... May I help you with anything?" Melty asked the tiger-girl.

"No, I just wish to talk." She replied.

Suzaku glances at the two girls before looking back out towards the castle.

"... So anywho, what do wish to talk about?" Melty asked the blind Hakuko girl.

She smiles.

"You're not like the other humans, aren't you?" She pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Melty asked.

"I can read other people's souls ever since I was born blind." Atlas stated. "Compared to the other humans I've read, I can tell, you're pure. Like a fresh spring dew after a stormy rain."

Melty began listening.

"... Unlike my fellow kin and the other humans, who were raised under the yolk of fear and hate of their opposing race, you've been raised with love and strength."

Melty smiles with slight satisfaction.

"My mother was the wisest person I've known in my life." She stated. "Once she made me her heir, she taught me personally to learn how to rule a nation while remaining a morally decent person."

"... You seems to be telling the truth." Atlas stated. "... 'An ideal ruler mustn't let its feelings guide its people, lest its people and domain fall into ruin'."

"How did you know?" Melty asked in a surprised tone.

Atlas lets out a small giggle.

"Like I said, I'm able to read people's emotions." Atlas stated. "From what I can tell, she's left a rather positive impression upon your soul."

Atlas's smile then turns into a frown.

"And from what I can tell, your father and elder sister has left a horrific impression upon you." The Hakuko girl stated.

Melty's heart grows heavy upon hearing such words being heard.

"... I've only recently discovered that my father inadvertently ordered my death all for the sake killing the [Shield Hero]." Melty stated in a saddened tone. "... [Heroes] and kings shouldn't be against each other in the first place."

Atlas turns away from her.

"Whatever it may be, all I can say is that your father will have it coming, one or the other." The tiger-girl stated coldly.

... Painful as it may be, deep down, Melty knows that will be the logical conclusion should her father continue with his crusade against the [Shield Hero].

"Oh, and as for your sister, go for the throat." Altas pointed out. "She won't be missed."

"Agreed." Melty replied plainly.

The two young girls go back to being quiet before Melty asks the Hakuko one question:

"... What can you see inside of Nan's consciousness?"

The expression on Atlas's face _contorts_ into that of someone swallowing a lemon.

"... He's literally in a world of his own, way beyond any sanity."

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

"And we're here..." I stated. "... With way too many guards outside."

Me, Grimm, and Genbu were peering over the conveniently-placed barrels in the courtyard, hidden in the shadows of the night, observing.

"... Let's see." I stated. "Right now, my [Clock] says that it's 11:54 PM, the guards are slowly becoming more undisciplined and weary from the fatigue."

**"Ripe for a break-in, laddie."** Genbu stated as he took a quick nip from his flask.** "So what first?"**

I [Summon] [Stygian] to my side.

"Scout around the whole interiors to see if you can find anything." I ordered. "If there's any traps or heavy equipment, disable it, but do it without getting noticed. As for the keys, I don't care if they lead to a goddamn _sex dungeon_, just nab it."

The shadowy demon nods in confirmation right before it [Shadow Dive]s elsewhere.

"Alright..." I stated as I saw the shadowy demon zip by several unsuspecting guards. "... But first, I need to check something. Everyone, down."

We sink back into the shadows cast from the darkness, completely hidden from the guards.

Two things just popped up in my mind right now.

One, I need to establish a comms link with other people. Since this is going to be a large-scale operation, I need to make sure that everything proceeds smoothly, and in order to do so, I need to know where's what and whatnot.

Why didn't I do this sooner?

... Because I'm a _fucking_ idiot.

"Grimm, got one of those [Projection Orbs]?" I asked.

He upchucks a slightly-less slimy crystal ball out of his pages.

"Alright..." I stated. "... This is like starting up a modem. You can do this."

My HUD then connects itself with the [Projection Orb], copying its functions and implementing it into myself.

**"[Comms-Link] Passive Skill, learned."**

Let's test this baby out.

**[Comms-Link]**

**Nan: Sup folks.**

**Glass: WHAT THE HELL!?**

**L'Arc: IS THAT YOU, KIDDO!?**

**Theresa: Oh my, you gave me a scare...**

**Garou: Nan, is that you!?**

**Fubuki: Nan?**

**Rino: I'm not going crazy now, am I?**

**Rio: ... Ugh, this is LoL all over again.**

**Wyndia: What's LoL?**

**Khronos: Explain yourself.**

**Malva: This is quite a new experience...**

**Atlas: I do not need to hear you in my mind, [Tome Fallen].**

**Byakko: I see you've also taken my job.**

**Fohl: This is weird...**

**Melty: No, this is hell.**

**Nan: EVERYBODY SHUT THE FUCK UP!**

**...**

**Nan: Now listen, this is just a test in my new feature, and since this is going to be a large-scale operation, I need all ears open for potential orders that I'm going to give out. Until then, remain vigilant, keep your eyes peeled, and above all else, do not get spotted.**

**L'Arc: ... About that.**

**Nan: Goddammit. **

**Nan: ... Is the fucker at least dead?**

**L'Arc: As a doornail.**

**Nan: Keep it that way.**

**Nan: Anywho, aside from that little hiccup, do well on your parts, we'll get out just fine.**

**Nan: Godspeed, ya brave bastards.**

**End of [Comms-Link]**

"... Whoa, so that's what live chats feel like." I stated. "Just as exhausting as talking to actual people."

**"Preach it, laddie." **Genbu remarked. **"So that aside, you going in?"**

I draw my gun and checked the ammo.

"House cleaning first." I remarked as I flicked the cylinder back into the gun. "Other people are coming, and preferably, we need to make room."

**"Kill em where they stand, or kill em without being noticed?" **Grimm asked.

"The latter." I stated as we slowly emerged from the darkness. "Make trouble at one's own discretion, but we have none to spend so frivolously."

I slip by the guard heading back into the main manor.

Genbu and I glance at each other and nod.

"See you soon, ya scaly fuck."

**"Right back at ya, ya crazy bastard."**

We shake on it, and then we split.'

While Genbu goes inside the main building...

... My eyes peer towards the shutter leading towards... _that place_.

I then see my tome-companion trembling in rage.

"You feel it too?" I asked.

**"Just tell me what to do."** Grimm stated.** "I won't hold back in the slightest."**

... With a heavy heart, I _turn away_.

"First,_ priorities_."

**Switching POV: Glass**

Ever since she'd joined the [Tome Fallen] unwittingly and slightly-unwillingly, Glass has been on the fence about Nan's mind.

His claims that he knew their circumstances.

... He was so confident about his claims, made even more particular that they were all _accurate_.

The one that stood out the most however, was his standing compared to everyone else.

_"... Are we all just some ensemble of fictional characters, with Nan as the only 'real' person?"_ She thought. _"If that's the case, then how much does he know about... everything?"_

For all she could tell, Nan can easily predict the coming future and read into their pasts like an _open book_.

However, another issue was at hand.

"Who is that person next to you?" Glass asked L'Arc.

"Oh, him?" The [Scythe Saint] replied. "Just an unfortunate bloke that got caught up in this little mess."

"Ello' there, lass." The adventurer greeted. "Name's Dunban."

The [Fan Saint] grumbles in frustration.

"... Great. The situation is about to get even more dicey." Glass stated. "Look, why don't you go home before you get caught up in something truly insane?"

"Can't." Dunban replied. "Now that I'm marked for death by the [Three Heroes Church], I so much as step out there, I get shanked and no one's gonna bat an eye."

Glass buries her face in her hands.

"... I swear, I'm blaming Nan for this crap." Glass mumbled to herself.

"Um, who's this, _'Nan'_ ya talking about?" Dunban asked.

Glass looks at her companions-in-arms.

They both shrug, citing that hiding anything at this point will most likely cause more problems then mend them.

Glass then decides to bite the bullet, giving up on logic entirely.

"... A friend of ours." She answered reluctantly. "... Who's going to set that place over there on_ fire_."

**Switching POV: Genbu**

Navigating the manor wasn't so hard for a minute-statured figure.

Made even easier, the servants were all asleep, the guards were all drowsy, and the hallways themselves were barely lit, with but a few candles lighting a few spots of the manor.

Perfect for a black-scaled [Gremlin] like him, who's main speciality is mainly _sabotage_.

_"No traps here or anything remotely related to that..."_ Genbu thought._ "Security is pretty lax, but that's to be expected when a lord is self-assured of his own providence..."_

He then smells something... _delicious_.

_"That the kitchen nearby?"_ He thought._ "... Don't mind if I do."_

The [Gremlin] couldn't help himself, for the simple pleasures of life that life had to offer were too good to pass.

Plus, Nan didn't say anything about not raiding the pantry.

_"And it'll make a good distraction." _He thought as he casually walked into the kitchen.

The kitchen itself was staffed by a clearly-overworked young maid, stirring the steaming and bubbling cauldron of tomorrow's meal.

Ignoring the working woman, the munchkin climbs over a stall and snatches an apple on the fruit bowl.

_"This will make a decent snack-"_

His thought was then interrupted by the sight of the wheel of fine-aged cheese suspended from the ceiling.

_"Apple and cheese..."_ He thought._ "... Let's hope their wine's good."_

He then jumps up towards the cheese wheel, causing a few plates and a fruit bowl to clutter and hit the ground.

Thankfully, Genbu himself was out of sight, as he was grabbing onto the hanging cheese wheel hanging from the ceiling.

He then sees the maid look at the table, now its contents scattered around the floor.

"... Ugh, damn kitchen rats." She grumbled. "Why wouldn't Lord Rabier let me bring Miss Madison here to deal with these vermin? At she like their company before eating them..."

The [Gremlin] watches on as the maid goes back to work preparing the meal.

_"Poor dame, almost feel sorry for her."_ Genbu sympathized._ "... But still, don't mind if do."_

He then climbs over one of the rafters over the ceilings, draws his [Silver Shortsword] and cuts the cheese wheel loose right before he takes it for himself.

_"Now where's the wine cellar-"_

*SNAP*

**'YEH-EHOW!"**

A _mousetrap_ snaps onto the [Gremlin]'s bare toes, causing him to fall off of the rafters, and back onto the table at the middle of the kitchen.

**"AW, BUGGER ME!" **Genbu cried out as he pried the mousetrap off of his toes with his shortsword.

He then gets it off, only to find the maid with a _frying pan_ raised above her head.

**"... Aw shite."**

The [Gremlin] makes a run for it with apple in mouth, cheese wheel under left arm, and [Silver Shortsword] in his right, as the hysterically-screeching maid calls for the [Royal Guards] to go after the breached monster.

**"Story of my life, laddies..." **Genbu mumbled as he ran away from the guards by scaling the ceiling like a madman. **"Wonder how Nan's doing..."**

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

... Okay, who's played Hitman?

If so, congrats, then you get my train of thought right now.

As the majority of the guards were suddenly being called back into the main manor (three guesses it's Genbu; wouldn't put it past him), leaving only around a few guards to patrol the courtyard.

"... I count six." I stated. "ETA of the guards that just went inside?"

**"I give 10 minutes at best, 5 minutes at worst"** Grimm informed.** "Whatever you're trying to do, make it snappy."**

I snap out my [Bandit's Silver Thumb]'s switchblade.

"Copy."

I swiftly move across the courtyard undetected, the guards, now more awake, but still dazed from their night shift.

... Basically, I'm _Golden Fazbear_, and these poor schmucks are playing on the _4-20 Mode_.

And all of them, are lose _way more_ than just their frontal lobe.

I see one guard walking away, with another by the gate letting out a yawn.

"One."

I gag his mouth with my left before opening up his throat with my right thumb.

We then hide the body inside the barrel that we hid behind, right before moving towards victim #2.

The guard was sitting by the fountain, nearly asleep from the building fatigue.

I look around the guard, and find two other [Royal Guards] patrolling the surrounding area.

"That pretty much rules out drowning..." I muttered to myself. "Might as well take out the two before moving towards drowsy over there..."

I circle around the fountain and sneak my way towards the poor sap's back.

"Two."

I take him down into the bushes, gag him, and slash his neck open, right before hiding his body in the thrush.

Luckily, the bushes didn't make any clanging sounds from the armor, so there's that.

I then move on towards the other guard, and find the other guard who just got back from his bathroom break coming towards my direction.

... Who should I kill first?

Kill the other guard near the other guard near the fountain to carry on as usual, or kill the returning guard first to leave no witnesses?

... Better to let the enemy earn their meager reward than risk a reckless and costly victory, as _Grand Admiral Thrawn_ would do.

Warfare based on deception; make the enemy assume that they're safe, when they're actually not. Sun Tzu's _Art of War_.

Simply put, he shall die _last_.

I then sneak towards the guard patrolling around the fountain, him heading towards the guard now-asleep neck to the fountain.

Even better.

Two birds with one stone.

"Grimm, help me out." I asked as I slowly headed towards the fountain. "You take sleepy, I'll take the other."

**"Got it."**

We both then burst out of the bushes as the guard tries to shake the other awake.

I chokehold the guard from the back before taking him down into the water, and Grimm [Garrote]s the other neck and pulls him down the water.

After a few gurgles, both of their bodies fell lifeless.

"That's four." I declared as Grimm devoured their bodies whole. "Only two remain, and I'm guessing that the one away from the gates has the key."

**"... Why do you think that?" **Grimm asked.

"Normally, it's just a hunch." I explained. "But logically speaking, the key should be kept further inside the castle just so that the intruders would have a harder time of gaining the full access to the castle."

**"Didn't most of the guards got called into the manor?"** Grimm pointed out.** "I mean, wouldn't be more logical to keep the castle keys inside the castle itself?"**

"True, but I did say it was a hunch." I remarked as we found ourselves in the mansion's rear.

The same spot where the obelisk was erected at.

"... Grimm, check the area for me."

I then spot my [Bird Eyes] surveying the area, with two images projected onto my HUD.

A [Royal Guard] with the ring of keys around his waist.

And_ another_ shutter door.

"... Okay." I remarked. "Grimm, can you check that shutter?"

**"It's the same thing here, man."** Grimm remarked.** "Something that makes me want to smack a bitch is down there."**

... Goddammit, I need the key.

Then spot something waving at me.

It was my [Stygian], signaling me.

... Alright, I have a plan now.

But first...

"Five."

I sling Grimm into the middle of the empty obelisk, with the [Royal Guard] pulled towards me, his head completely clamped down between Grimm's pages, right before he was swallowed whole.

"The keys?"

Grimm spits them out into my hand as [Stygian] slithers back to me, and the two [Bird Eyes] land on my shoulder.

"Thanks, you three." I thanked. "Me and Grimm will do our best to carry on our own weight."

The five of us then head towards the shutter door.

With trembling hands, I insert the key inside of the padlock holding the shutter doors together.

I turn the lock and key, with the "click" sound and the lock snapping off.

I then quietly open the doors, and into the dimly-lit basement.

... My fears were confirmed.

We're in the right place.

The _fresh_ scent of blood and shit all over the stones...

The rusted iron collars and dead bodies of children...

The _suffocating_ atmosphere of horror and agony...

... The _torture cellar_.

**Switching POV: Genbu**

"AFTER IT!"

"SLIPPERY BASTARD!"

"GET BACK HERE!"

**"BITE MY ARSE, YA CLANKERS!"**

The black-scaled [Gremlin] was slipping through the numerous [Royal Guards] throughout the narrow hallways.

And thanks to its small size, the guards and maids were helpless lest they hit one of their own.

"HEY, YOU'RE IN MY WAY!"

"IT'S TOO SMALL!"

"LET ME GET IT!"

_"So far, so good." _He thought, as he ran outside.

He then sniffs the air, trying to find some good wine to go along with the cheese and apple that he snatched up.

**"... Down there."**

Genbu proceeds to hop towards the shutter door, and finds a padlock locked around the door's handles.

Before he can even think about hacking the lock off of the door, a [Royal Guard] charges from behind and swings down his [Steel Halberd] towards the [Gremlin].

The [Gremlin] rolls away from the arc, as the heavy blade hacks the lock in two, and Genbu, taking notice of this shift in detail, swings the door open, the handle hitting the [Royal Guard] directly in the nose, knocking him out.

**"Jackpot!" **

The [Gremlin] smells fine wine coming from below the basement.

_"THE DAMN MONSTER'S IN THE WINE CELLAR!"_

_"AW SHIT! IF LORD RABIER FINDS OUT ABOUT THIS, WE'RE FUCKED!"_

He then spots one of the barrels, and with his shortsword, punches a hole into the wooden container, spilling out rich-red liquid from the gap.

Genbu opens his mouth and lets the glistening red wine pour down into his throat.

**"Now that's some bloody good wine." **Genbu remarked as he emptied the barrel before taking a bite out of his cheese wheel.

At the cellar's entrance, the guards all approach the [Gremlin].

**"... You guys want some?"**

The [Royal Guards] look at each other in confusion.

_"Is that monster actually talking?"_

_"He's offering us food and wine."_

_"Yeah, but he stole. Plus, he stole it from Lord Rabier."_

_"It's a monster anyway, so let's kill it."_

_"I'm too tired for this shit anyway."_

**"Aw bugger."**

The armed guards then slowly advance towards him.

_"... So it's gonna be like this, huh?"_

He takes a cigarette from his pack and lights it with his [Fafnir's Flametongue].

_"... Welp, at least Nan can work around this."_

**"[Soulburner]."**

The lighter then spews out a jet of azure-blue flames, engulfing the whole cellar in this bright prominence...

... As the flames the explode out of the cellar doors and into the night sky.

**Switching POV: Garou**

The wolf-[Brawler] sees the flames lighting the night sky.

"It's time." He declared. "Everyone, charge!"

The [Rebel Infantry], along with a dog-[Predator] with two [Dragons], a fox-monk, a human [Swordmaster], an ex-whore turned-[Assassin], all led by a wolf-[Brawler], his [Katars] clashing against each other.

All of them advance towards the castle, ready to bring down this monster of a human.

"Hey!" One of the [Royal Guards] cried out. "I-Intruder-"

An arrow pierces through his neck and out the other end, courtesy of Rino.

"Nice shot." Garou complemented.

"Thanks, been working on my aim since the mines." She remarked as she pulled out her [Steel Throwing Knives] from her belt before taking out another by the castle entrance by his eye. "Next one's for that [Spear Hero] manwhore, in _another_ eye."

"Save it, Rino." Garou snapped. "We've got company!"

The [Royal Guards] then coming pouring out of the castle gates and into the bridge.

"Brother!" Fubuki yelled out from the back. "What do we do!?"

Garou smiles as he then emulates his _blood-brother_.

"KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!" He roared out as he barreled through the [Royal Guards]. "FEED THEIR CORPSES TO THE BEASTS!"

The rest of the group charges towards the [Royal Guards], with Gaelion transforming into a [Wyvern Emperor] and Yaelia transforming into a [Saurlich Empress], utterly decimating the opposition, with Wyndia riding atop of Gaelion as she engages hit-and-run tactics on the panicking guards, knocking them off of the bridge, feeding them to the alligators below.

At the rear, Rino, Fubuki, and the rest of the [Rebel Infantry] were pelting the other side of the bridge with arrows, [Iron Javelins], and Fubuki's [Ice Rain] spell, chipping the opposition away from the enemy's rearguard, preventing them from firing their arrows.

"KEEP PUSHING!" Garou roared out as he kicked a sword-wielding [Royal Guard] off of the bridge. "KILL THEM BEFORE THEY KILL YOU FIRST!"

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

"Hang on... hang on... PLEASE HANG ON, I'M GONNA GET YOU OUT OF HERE!"

I shoot off another lock from a cell door, retrieve the frail, premature body, smelling of flies and rats, and soon to eaten by said flies and rats if I don't do anything about them!

"[High-Healing]!"

I line up the mouse-eared boy next to the others, Strelitzia feeding the children her nectar, Rubicante blowtorching their iron collars and shackles off, and Ishmael casting [Blessed Healing] onto them.

Me?

... I'm trying to get them out of this hellhole.

"GRIMM!" I cried out in a distressed tone. "... What the hell's going on outside!?"

I saw Grimm press his side against the walls, ceilings, and the floor for audio.

**"Dunno man."** Grimm stated.** "All I know is that shit's going on right now, and if we don't hustle, we're fucked."**

... Yeah, that little notion is not exactly helping out with my anxieties right now.

Just one last cell. Just one last cell...

In desperation, I rip the cell doors off of its hinges and toss it against the wall next to me, letting out a massive "clang" sound.

... I really wish I haven't done that.

My knees give out right before they hit the moldy, cold, stone floor.

Laid before was the weasel-eared girl, wizened, rotting, and in a state _between_ life and death.

... Please God.

Let me save her...

Let me do one good thing-

...

The last words from her cracked lips were the following...

**"Thank You."**

My mind just... shuts down.

The last image seared into my eyes was her face with a single tear dripping down from her face.

I do not care that I never knew her as a person. I do not care that she was a demi-human. I do not care that she was already past the edge of death upon my arrival.

No one, and I say no one...

... Should allow this kind of_ treachery_ to ever happen.

***System Override Procedure Activated***

***Rebooting Consciousness***

**ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR**

**[DO NOT LET YOUR PAIN ASSUME CONTROL]**

**[THERE'S STILL TIME TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT]**

**[BUT FIRST, I NEED YOU TO COOPERATE WITH ME ON THIS]**

**[STICK WITH ME, AND EVERYONE WILL COME OUT ALIVE]**

_... Thrill me._

**[GLAD YOU'RE LISTENING, THEN]**

**[NOW, I NEED YOU TO CALM DOWN AND DO ME A FAVOR]**

_... What you offering?_

**...**

**Do you accept [Despair] into your [Cursed Series]?**

**[Yes]**

**[No]**

**...**

**[Yes]**

**...**

**Do you wish to deliver [Punishment] unto those who've done this?**

**[Yes]**

**[No]**

**...**

**[Yes]**

**...**

**Will you proceed as planned, and kill all who stands in your way?**

**[Yes]**

**[Yes]**

**...**

**[Yes]**

**...**

**[CONGRATS, YOU CRAZY BASTARD]**

**[NOW GO RIP EM A NEW ONE]**

**"[Cursed Series] upgraded to the [Ten Primordial Sins]."**

**"[Punishment] Skill, learned."**

_... What am I, fucking Frank Castle?_

_Sorry, had to lighten the mood, somehow._

**[OH, AND ONE LAST THING BEFORE WE SETTLE ON OUR LITTLE DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT]**

**...**

**Would you like to release [Sanity Restraint-Level 5] to gain access to [Level 4]?**

**[Yes]**

**[No]**

**...**

**[Yes]**

**...**

**Alright then, your [Sanity Meter]'s new threshold will be 4%.**

**With it, all of your stats will be doubled for the time being.**

**The threshold shall be reset upon regaining the meter back above 5%.**

**However, stay in the threshold too long, and the [Ten Primordial Sins] will automatically activate.**

**On what that does to you...**

**... Let's just say that the regular [Cursed Series] will do _less harm_ compared to this SOB will do to your brain.**

**But considering that you're trusting me, a complete stranger with your well being, I'm assuming that's a relatively low bar.**

_Did you know that the most trustworthy person in this shithole world is a godforsaken slave trader?_

**Touche.**

**...**

I snap back into reality.

Only _one_ synonym was etched into my brain.

**[KILL]**

**[MAIM]**

**[BURN]**

**[MURDER]**

**[DESTROY]**

**[EXTERMINATE]**

I approach the now-dead Rifana.

Her face was at peace.

Solace after death...

... For life here is nothing but _pain_.

**"... Grimm." **My voice rumbled in a _monsterous_ tone.

The [Forbidden Tome] lets out a low snarl, almost _feral_ from both of our collective rage.

**"... No more words then."** I ordered.** "Ishmael, watch the children. Rubicante, a pyre for the girl who suffered too much in this world. Strelitzia, make sure none of them die."**

The three nod as I was approached by the trembling [Royal Guards], too shaken to even run away.

**"... I have no time to mar my hands with you sorry lot."**

I reach for [Sibylline], and draw out five cards.

**[Ace of Spades]**

**[Three of Hearts]**

**[Three of Clubs]**

**[King of Diamonds]**

**[Three of Spades]**

The three [Three of Hearts] then project images of differing monsters.

A [Hammerhead Daemon], a [Mole Daemon], and a [Lion Daemon].

**"[Summon-Three of Kind]."**

I toss the cards into the air, releasing the sealed [Daemons] from their prisons.

The [Hammerhead Daemon] was a navy-blue, and black-colored hammerhead shark-like monster, its "hammerhead" tipped with axe-spades and holding onto a War-Spade with a bronze hammerhead on the other tip.

The [Mole Daemon] was an unholy fusion of mammal and technology, with its claws reminiscent of power tool drills, it's dark-ultramarine fur were stitched with haphazard pieces of armor, and its eyes were covered with a solid-vantablack visor.

And finally, the golden-furred [Lion Daemon] didn't look too outlandish compared to its [Daemon] compatriots, with what it wearing typical gladiator garbs, black leather straps ordained with steel buckle-like plating on its broad shoulders, and its fists were encased with a pair of golden claw-like [Destroyer Gauntlets].

All three land before the trembling [Royal Guards], and at this point, all hope from their eyes were completely _extinguished_. And no, I'm not going to even point out the fact that I've just summoned the _Undead_ from Kamen Rider Blade, nor the fact that their appearances are a combination of their Undead forms and their card arts.

As long as they're on my side, I'll be fine.

**"Take your time, boys."**

The [Daemons] then began, shall we say, for a lack of a better term, "play with their food".

As their screams begin to echo throughout the castle walls, I pull out my [Grimoire Heart], load its chambers with rolled up spellbook pages, and adopt a thousand-yard _glare_.

**"Now..."** I declared as I entered through the manor's rear door while pulling back the gun's hammer.** "... Let's begin our little _rampage_."**

* * *

**_To Be Continued..._**

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Writing this Epic, was say, for lack of a better term, rather hard.

College work, extra credits, outside obligations, fatigue, the lack of time, and my dad just gone back to the hospital, again.

I swear, it's getting exhausting to keep up with all of this.

However, that doesn't mean I'll just drop my fic in general.

I've what? Been writing for over a year now, and me up and quitting won't do, no sir.

So any who, the new features:

**[Sibylline]: **Sealed 52 [Daemons] that can be [Summon]ed depending on what kind of hand you have (hand limit is five). Power levels are determined like Tokusatsu monster-hierarchy.

**[One Pair]**: [Summon] the two available [Daemons] at base stats (Mook-level).

**[Two Pair]:** [Summon] four available [Daemons] with slightly boosted stats (Mook-Lieutenant level).

**[Three of a Kind]:** [Summon] three available [Daemons] with moderately boosted stats (Elite Mook-level).

**[Full House]:** [Summon] five available [Daemons] with moderately boosted stats and random [Affixes] (King Mook-level).

**[Straight Flush]:** [Summon] five available [Daemons] with moderately boosted stats and random [Affixes] (Boss in a Mook's Clothing-level)

**[Four of a Kind]:** [Summon] four available [Daemons] with highly boosted stats (General-level).

**[Royal Straight Flush]:** [Summon] five available [Daemons] with highly boosted stats and guaranteed [Royal-Affix] (The Main Enforcer-level)

**[Joker]:** [Summon] [Joker Daemon], the most powerful [Daemon] sealed within the [Sibylline], with a .1% spawn rate. Can be [Summon]ed as [Pure Joker Daemon] (Unique [Affix] that makes [Joker Daemon] immune to all stat debuffs and ailments) with a .001% spawn rate.

**[Ten Primordial Sins]: **A straight upgrade to the [Cursed Series], fully bestowed upon those who wish to gaze into the abyss in order to draw out more power. Replaces current [Affinity] with it when activating its power.

The current [Sins] collected are the following: [Wrath], [Pride], [Greed], [Gluttony], [Lust], [Sloth], [Envy], [Vanity], [Despair].

9/10 collected. 1/10 [Sins] remaining.

Same abilities of the [Cursed Series] are still present, but now they come at a reduced penalty cost, but now it will run on the user's [Sanity Meter]'s current threshold, and with each threshold passed, an additional ability will be implemented into the user's form.

At 5%/[Level 5], it allows the user to mitigate overall cost to [Sanity Meter].

At 4%/[Level 4], it doubles the user's overall stats.

As for 3% to 0%/[Level 3]-[Level 0], the effects are yet unknown.

Potentially broken?

What, the power level, or my SI's sanity?

Answer, YES. (You notice a pattern developing?)

* * *

**_Stat Updates (Current Party):  
_**

* * *

**Name: [Rising Conqueror] [Nan Hon-Jah]**

**Class: [Tome Fallen]**

**Level: 75**

**Affinities: [Ten Primordial Sins]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Mad**

**Equipment: [Forbidden Tome, Grimm the Heretic], [Grimoire Heart], [Lemegeton], [****Sibylline****], [Necromancer's Robes]. [Mire Boots], [Wight's Rune of Spite], [Silver Wolf's Maw], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Visage of Madness], [Mystic Geas: Puppeteer], [Portable Dragon's Hourglass]**

**Battalion: [Scribes]**

**Attack: 86 (+195) [x2]**

**Defense: 83 (+10) [x2]**

**Agility: 84 (+75) [x2]**

**Luck: 76 (+85) [x2]**

**HP: 640 (+95) [x2]**

**MP: 730 (+305) [x2]**

* * *

**Name: [Genbu]**

**Class: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Affinites: None**

**Alignment: ?**

**Equipment: [Wayward Nomad's Garbs], [Silver Pocket Watch & Chain], [Silver Shortsword], [Silver Buckler], [Fafnir's Flametongue]**

**Attack: ?**

**Defense: ?**

**Agility: ?**

**Luck: 9,999**

**HP: ?**

**MP: ?**

* * *

So, what do you readers think of this Epic?

How quickly will the ignorant fools die slowly and painfully from the SI's rampage?

And what will it mean for the SI to completely go apeshit while in the 4% threshold?

Has out SI gone to the point of no return?

AND FOR FUCK'S SAKE, GOD FORBID IF ONE OF THE FOUR HEROES SEE NAN LIKE THIS.

... Or it might be the last thing they may ever see (Get stuffed, Fitoria. You about to get what you wanted, you prissy KFC bird-bitch).

... Leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience are thinking.

Now if you excuse me, _Apocrypha_ is waiting for me...


	22. Epic 22: The Rampage Part 2

**_Continuing self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_Waiting for Season 2..._**

**_Finger Count: 5/10_**

**_Eye Count: 2/2_**

**_Sanity Meter: 4%_**

**_Death Counter: 1_**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

**Epic 22: The Rampage Part 2**

* * *

**Switching POV: 3rd Person-View**

"WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON!?"

"SOMEONE BAR THE FUCKING DOORS-"

***BOOM***

Bodies.

Both armored and unarmored were sent flying upon the conflagration bursting out of the stairwell like a roaring furnace.

Disjointed footsteps echoed down the hallway, with each stumble of tattered leather sole followed by the jingling of heavy chains, dragging something with each thud making its way upstairs.

The remaining guards stood their ground, in spite of their legs and hands trembling-

... Whistling.

The _monster_ was whistling a soothing, but haunting tune of its own as it was slaughtering their fellow man like wolf upon cattle during its ascension towards the second floor.

**"... Do you know this song?" **The voice from the stairwell spoke out.

No one dared to answer.

The voice sighs out in disappointment.

**"... How tragic."** The voice replied in a faux-awed tone.** "So let me teach you..."**

In a blur, a cloaked figure dragging several mutilated bodies in chains shackled to its wrist dashed out towards the hallway.

**"REAPER! REAPER! THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE CALL ME!"**

The madman wasn't even bothering trying to get the tune right.

**"WHY CUZ THEY ALLLLL DIE! WHEN I SING I END THEIR LIVES!"**

All he did as he and his leased beast tore apart the fellow guards and maids alike was roar out those perceived lyrics in a deranged tone and pitch, with screams of the guard's fellow allies being chewed and tenderized like fine meat-

**"... Ok, you know what? It's not working."**

The cloaked figure tosses the bisected corpse to the sole remaining guard's feet.

**"I try and go the madman route, but all that does is make me feel bad and lose levels afterwards."** The figure stated.** "Look, as much as you and your fellow staff deserve to die slow and painful deaths, even I'm perfectly aware that you and your friends only work here 9 to 5 just to get food on the table and not out of some fascist loyalty, as no sane man would ever work for a rich, bloated tick like Rabier's, personal ****bootlicker for a living."**

The remaining guard musters up the courage to reply.

"... T-t-then why?" He gasped out. "W-W-W-WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!?"

The figure kneels down to his face level as his right eye gleamed a red light from its iris.

**"... Tell me."** The _maniac_ asked.** "If you were given enough power to stop something, would you do it?"**

The guard nods with sweat drenching down to the tip of his nose.

**"Then that's all there's to it."** The monster _smiled_.** "I've found three dead bodies in his little basement, with roughly a half dozen more malnourished, traumatized, and their innocence beaten out of them. Point is, I'm going to make sure that the tick's comeuppance will be delivered due proper, and make sure that the mere stench of his existence is but a mere distant memory."**

"Y-YOU MEAN THOSE DAMN BRATS DOWN THERE!?" The guard barked out. "THAT AIN'T MY BUSINESS, AND I SURE AS HELL DIDN'T TOUCH THOSE FLEABAGS' HIDES!"

The _psychopath_ lets out a disappointed sigh.

**"Two faults in that little sentence."** The monster pointed out.** "First, I would like you point out that you yourself could've stopped him. Sure you might've become a public ****pariah, but personal opinion, I believe no price is too great for an act of small decency."**

"... And what's the second?" The guard asked in a hesitant tone.

**"... You honestly think that I'd make the distinction between human and demihuman when it comes to basic rights to life?"**

The monster then jabs the guard's nose into his skull, pruning his face _rich purple_ as each blow from his steel-melded left hook repeatedly drove into his face.

After several dizzying blows to the guard's face, something hard and cold begins to slowly wrap around his neck.

The monster forces his body back up on his own feet, with the slow realization that iron chains were wrapped around his neck.

**"Now before you say anything..."** The monster stated casually.** "Allow me poke additional holes into your worldview before your inevitable end."**

The guard's bruised face is then slammed against the ice-cold windowsill.

**"What I plan to do here is the following."** The monster declared.** "I'm not so crass to just kill Rabier and leave his body for the rats to fatten themselves upon. Oh no, for that would just incite needless panic and misinformation. No, what I'm trying to do, is send a message."**

"... What message?"

**"I would say something, but frankly, I think a visual example is more... _warranted_."**

The guard then looks outside through the window that his face was pressed against, and sees the utter chaos happening below.

_Monsters_. Nothing but monsters.

From the skeletal, rotting, and ghastly undead, the gluttonous werebeasts devouring upon the bodies of the fallen, demihumans taking their vengeance upon the humans, and even humans, his fellow race, were partaking in this banquet of madness, gleefully killing the scatted castle guards in the courtyard with their blades and bows alike.

**"What you see down there is future I ****herald."** The madman stated triumphantly.** "I united them, not under gold, not under ideology, not under one purpose of grand significance, but under _the __one truth_."**

Then something hard, bony, warm, and damp, clamp around his earlobes.

The bastard then chomps off his entire right ear off, causing the guard to scream out in agony as he felt the sinews of his flesh being torn from his skull.

**"If all this world can bring is ignorance, institutionalized barbarism, and actively promoting utter ****idiocy among its masses, well, 'house cleaning' is an apt way to put it."** The monster stated.** "Simply put, Imma burn this whole damn continent to the fucking abyss that it's sitting its rocky ass upon, because every second that this damn rock continues to prosper, I stress out, and that in turn, is very bad for my health, at least that's what my psychiatrist said before I got my ass dragged to this shithole."**

"... hey'll st... ou."

**"What's that, ****bucko?"** The maniac replied.** "You might wanna speak up."**

In a last show of defiance, the guard glares at the maniac's red eye.

"They'll stop you." The guard heaved out. "The [Heroes] will... stop you."

Then the maniac starts _cackling_.

Every decibel let out of his mouth echoed throughout his mind, as if the _Devil himself_ was the one holding him hostage.

**"... Oh sweetie."** The monster wheezed out.** "The so-called [Heroes] only live because I _let them_."**

With that revelation, the guard's bravado shattered into a million pieces like the facade it was.

**"Well, it was fun talkin' to ya."** The monster replied with a grin.** "Enjoy Hell for me, buddy!"**

As the guard was kicked out through the window, he felt the chains around his neck begin to tighten around his throat as the hell on earth approached closer towards his feet.

"DON'T COME NEAR ME, DON'T COME NEAR ME-"

*SNAP*

... Hell never came.

Only _darkness_.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

**"Oh my god, that was tiring."**

... Nope, Grimm was still feral as he was currently eating his next course of fresh meat.

Okay, a few things.

First, I myself am really tired, really stressed out, and as much as I'm having fun with my little power trip, I'm starting to learn the definition of "too much of a good thing".

Second, my joints, especially my neck, shoulders, and knees are on the verge of buckling due to the aforementioned stress.

And finally...

**"WHERE THE HELL IS THAT FAT BASTARD!?" **I roared out for the sake of catharsis.

As if responding to my cries, Grimm then drops the half-dead body and begins snaking around the halls to find Rabier.

**"... Good enough." **I replied as I shot the body dead with my page-shooting gun.

I then make my way though the ruined halls, with each step, scents of excess opulence rotting my brain matter out of my earholes.

**"Ugh, this is taking too long."** I sighed out.** "Grimm, I don't wanna be that guy, but can you find the tick already? It's getting really late and I don't think staying in _Whitman Fever_ any longer will do any of us favors."**

My feral tome snarls out towards my left.

**"... Great."**

More guards/clowns.

**"... Grimm, you mind if I borrow your chains?"**

The silver linked bindings caress by open palm.

**"Fair enough."** I replied.** "Now who wants to hang with the champ?"**

**Switching POV: Garou**

"BREAK THROUGH THEIR LINES! NOW!" The wolf-[Brawler] barked out.

With one final push from their forces, the castle's defensive line crumbles, with their forces flooding into the castle's courtyard in a frenzied mass of arms and pure murder.

"BROTHER!"

Behind Garou, Fubuki ran towards him, covered in her own fair share of blood from her opposition.

"Took you long enough." Garou stated. "Where're the others?"

Several more armored guards were sent flying over both of their heads, with Wyndia, Rio, Rino, Byakko, Seiryu, Suzaku, Gaelion and Yaelia running past the twins.

"Fair enough." The wolf-teen sighed out. "So I'm assuming that the others are catching up?"

"The Hakuko Clan Remnants are coming along slowly, but I can't seem to find where the Otherworlders are, but recent reports told me that they got held up for a bit by a Three Heroes Church's assailant." Fubuki reported.

"Shit." Garou cursed. "So they're already onto us?"

"Seems like it." She replied. "So what now?"

"We look for big bro, that's what." Garou stated. "We gotta find him and tell him all this."

"Okay, but..." Fubuki trailed off as she looked out towards the chaos before them. "... Where is he?"

Suddenly, the two hear one of the manor windows break, followed up with a sickening_ crunching_ sound.

The twins find a dead body, its neck strung up by a noose fashioned from an _iron chain_, suspended in the air, lifeless.

"Found him." Fubuki stated.

Then the windows following from the hangman exploded into a _row of flames_, with some of the shattered windowsills hurling our smoldering bodies of guards and servants alike.

"... You think he's mad?" Fubuki asked her brother.

"Perhaps in another time." Garou replied. "I have no interests of getting my ass into the fire."

"Agreed."

Both twins then resume their raid upon the manor, leading the charge around the rear end of the castle.

They spot Rubicante, the [Ifrit], along with Ishmael, the [Dominion], and Strelitzia, the [Dryad], escorting a demihuman children in rags.

"What the hell's going on!?" Fubuki asked the three [Summons]. "Just where the fresh hell were those kids in this fucking castle!?"

**"I dunno."** The [Dryad] replied.** "Human nobleman, the fact that we're in Melromarc, and these children were demihuman in the first place? Do the math."**

**"Such sin will not go unanswered."** Ishmael pointed out.** "Master Nan made sure of it."**

"He will." Garou agreed. "I know he will."

A window shatters behind them, revealing another dead body.

"... But first, we should get those kids somewhere else safe." Garou pointed out.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

One, two, three, four, murdering fools garlore-_aw fuck it_.

Pretending to be crazy while I'm technically gone crazy ain't doing shit.

I dunno, is the fun of killing evildoers... gone, now?

I mean, sure, it ain't stopping me, but the rush I got from doing it before is just... gone.

Have I accepted the fact that man itself is a monster to fellow man and that changing such reality is an nigh-impossibility?

... Maybe.

But someone has to answer this.

Someone has to answer for the man's crimes sooner or later, and I'm not the patient kind to do so.

So with that out of the way...

**"[Dritte Burning Hands]."**

My artificial left arm brands the guard's face like hot iron, him letting out a piercing scream as the glowing fingers slowly moved towards his eyeballs.

The scream became louder as I administered the world's most brutal ocular trauma.

I let go of the poor bastard, his head now an overcooked meatball.

**"Grimm, how close?"**

He tugs my arm to my right.

I peer around the corner, and see that fat fuck in ill-fitting bathrobe, surrounded by guards with [Steel Longswords] in hand.

... You know, I think I just figured out something.

I think I know why the guards, let alone, anyone armed, doesn't carry a shield around in Melromarc.

Whereas in my visit to Siltvelt, I saw Hakuko bodyguards carry [Ironclad Tower Shields] along with their weapon of choice.

... Which also explains why in smith's, the shields on display were flat out collecting dust.

I would point out the several flaws for their subscription of a religion where they apparently flat out ban safety equipment, but either way, everyone not on my side in this fucking estate unknowingly signed their own death warrants.

Time to cash in.

I load in my magnum with rolled up pages, hoping that each of them doesn't kill the fat fuck too quickly via crossfire.

I then aim the iron sights towards... one of the guards instead.

To quote Sun Tzu, "If you're going to shoot the general, then shoot the horse."

I pull the trigger, the muzzle firing out one of the random spells that the gun provided.

... An icicle spike running through the poor schmuck's neck, killing him dead, and spraying blood onto Rabier's robes, staining it red.

... Provided if he didn't piss on it first.

**"NOW!"**

With the shot fired, I unload my gun upon the guards surrounding Rabier, praying to make each shot count as I rushed towards them like starved puma.

A [Fireball], a [Lightning Saw], a [Gale Talon], a [Stone Bomb], and a [Dark Venom] were fired in rapid succession, hitting every guard surrounding the tick, killing them dead, leaving the fat fuck exposed.

**"End of the line, _hog_."**

I pull back my hammer, and stared the barrel down towards him.

He tired to beg, but I was _done_ listening.

*click*

... Crap, forgot I wasted my six shots-

*SHIRCK*

**"FUCK!"**

Sonofabitch ran a knife through my leg!

**"GRIMM!"**

The feral tome lashes out from my right arm, his fangs biting his right leg down, and dragging him back towards me.

**"How's that for karma, bitch?" **I spat at him after I pulled the shank out of my thigh. **"And no, I gonna kill you. _Yet_."**

Rabier's face contorts into that of pure horror as the chains constricted his bloated frame.

**"And because I'm feeling extra generous today, I'll permit you to speak, as long as you answer my question."**

My catharsis couldn't come _soon enough_.

**"... Where's the kitchen?"**

**Switching POV: L'Arc and Company**

"Holy shit..." The [Scythe Saint] gasped out. "... They already did a number on this place without us?"

"You think it might all be mostly Nan's handiwork?" Theresa pointed out.

"For the life of me, I wouldn't even be surprised that it was him." Glass stated. "Which reminds me..."

The [Phantom Fan Saint] then looks back at their group, pointing towards the middle-aged adventurer behind them.

"You sure we should get him involved?" Glass pointed out. "I mean, sure, he's targeted by the church, but that's like out of the frying pan and into the fire."

From the distance, they saw an explosion coming from the castle's interior.

"... Literally." The [Phantom Fan Saint] facepalmed.

"C'mon." L'Arc shrugged. "Standing here ain't gonna do shit."

The four then cross the corpse-ridden bridge, bodies of guard and ally alike.

"... This place reminds me of home, but _worse_." Theresa gagged.

"Not your first time?" Dunban pointed out. "Believe me, during the Melromarc-Silvelt Wars, seeing this kind of shit ain't rare."

"Now that I think about it, I'd gotta ask." L'Arc pointed out. "I know that the two races were at war with each other, but considering that the [Waves] are a thing, why haven't they forming a united front against the looming threat yet?"

"... I honestly don't know myself." Dunban replied. "But coming from personal experience, I was only a kid back then. Saw the fighting, killing, raping, and other kinds of shit up close."

The other three's eyes widen upon hearing such thing.

"At first, I thought that the demihumans were the real monsters, slaughtering civilians upon the lands they conquered like wolves to herds of sheep, thinking of them no different to the monsters from the forest." Dunban went on. "But, things got proceedingly... complicated."

"How so?" Theresa asked.

"One misstep off of a ledge later, got myself washed down to a river." The old adventurer stated. "Next thing I knew, I found myself in a cot next to a old demihuman hermit. I think he might've been a grey raccoon, but semantics."

"Then what?" Glass asked.

"Like any other brat from Melromarc would do at that time." He pointed out. "Find something sharp and tried to shank the old fuck. Emphasis on 'tried', since, well, he pinned me down and took the knife from me."

"That bad?" Theresa gasped out in surprise. "Just how deep does the institution of hate run in this kingdom?"

"Way deeper than you think, really." Dunban bitterly chuckled out. "Did you know that the first thing they taught you at school is how to kill a demihuman in 101 different ways?"

All three of them went silent with shock.

"Yeah... Kinda easy to see why the kingdom banned that curriculum from the schools." Dunban pointed out. "... Not that it stopped some unsavory folk from resuming, but that's a story for another day."

The old [Myrmidon] scratched his head before resuming.

"So anyway, I was stuck with that old coot for a while. Treated my injuries, got to know him a little better, opinions shifted, you know, how people usually bond in dire situations. Things happened."

All three of the otherworlders give him a scrutinizing stare.

"... Okay, fine. I kinda considered him the dad I never had." Dunban sighed out. "But seriously, though. My original old man was an asshole."

"Drinker?" L'Arc asked.

"Yep."

"Sorry for asking-"

Their conversation was cut off from the sounds of high-pitched screaming coming from the center of the castle's interiors.

"PLEASE DON'T DO THIS TO ME! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO YOU ARE!"

The three then see a plump noble-looking person dragged out of the front door in chains, thrashing and squealing like a swine that was about to be slaughtered.

... Although from first impressions alone, L'Arc can already tell that the fat man was _not_ gonna be missed.

"Theresa?" L'Arc asked the sky-blue haired [Magus].

"Yes?"

"Start a prayer." The [Scythe Saint] requested. "This is gonna be a bit of a harrowing experience."

"After all we've gone through?" Glass lampshaded. "Please, what can possibly happen that can top all of our collective experience-"

"Nan found and brought an _entire knife rack_ with him." L'Arc stated.

"Theresa, do you have a spare rosary?"

The [Magus] hands the [Phantom Fan Saint] a row of prayer beads resembling her own, right before the two start praying for the poor soul subjected to Nan's scorn and madness.

"THAT PSYCHOPATH'S NAN!?" Dunban pointed out. "HE LOOKS LIKE DEVIL STRAIGHT OUT OF HELL-"

Three distinct, yet inhuman shrieking sounds were heard from a distance, eventually revealed to be demon-like creatures, each resembling a mole, lion, and a hammerhead shark, with them surrounding the [Tome Fallen] like if he's their pack leader.

"... Nevermind, he's actually the Devil himself." Dunban flatly mumbled to himself.

"KID! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" L'Arc barked out. "THIS WASN'T PART OF THE PLAN!"

The haggard cloaked figure looks up back towards L'Arc's eye.

**"... Plans change."**

He then tosses the array of kitchen knives down towards the ground, scattering the blades haphazardly.

**"... The kids."** Nan whispered out.** "Where are they?"**

**"Right here."**

A blazing demon-like creature approached Nan, following behind the creature being several demihuman kids, all covered in nothing but rags and faded, but still prevalent bruises.

Suddenly, L'Arc begins to connect the dots together.

One, the nobleman before Nan was responsible for those marks inflicted upon those children.

Two, it was too clear that Nan was going to force those children to kill their own captor.

And three, as twisted and borderline insane this whole predicament is, part of him is saying to just sit back and watch the karmic justice unfold, clashing with his principles of that of a [Hero].

"NAN! DON'T DO THIS!" L'Arc begged. "I KNOW THAT HE DESERVES WHAT'S COMING TO HIM, BUT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DON'T MAKE THEM DO IT-"

... A faint scent of rosemary passes by his nostrils before his consciousness began to fade.

**"... Sorry buddy."** L'Arc heard Nan's voice.** "But I need you and your friends to shut up for a moment."**

The last thing he saw before his consciousness faded was a [Dryad] with a bloomed flower in her hand.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

... Okay, questionable choice of action to my own (technical) ally aside, I really had no interest of fighting him out of all people.

Not only that, but he, by extension, his party, really didn't do anything to earn my utmost scorn, Glass initially trying to kill me not withstanding.

I'm a murderer, just not a demented one who goes around killing people for kicks.

With that said...

I turn towards the haggard kids.

**"... So, first of all, sorry about the scare."** I apologized.** "Don't worry. The [Daemons] won't bite unless I say so. Which reminds me, how do you get them back into the cards?"**

I then spot a blinking red dot coming from my [Lemegeton].

I touch the light and a message pops up in my HUD.

**So kiddo! How's your first run with the [Daemons]?**

**Regardless, like all good things, they must come to an end.**

**But ****luckily, you can call them the next time that you need them.**

**But in order for that to happen, first you need to recall the [Daemon]s back into the deck.**

**Just say "recall", and voila!**

**Have fun!**

... Figures.

**"Recall."**

[Mole], [Lion], and [Hammerhead Daemon] all return to their card forms, flying back into my deck case like what every Seto Kaiba-wannabe thinks how real-life cards work.

**"... Now with that out of the way."** I continued as I closed my deck case.** "Let's get down to business, kiddos."**

I give the tick a good kick to the ribs, getting a cough out of him.

**"As you can see, I've taken the liberty of not only liberating you kiddos from Mr. Fatso's heel, but I decided to prepare something... _extra special_ for the bad man that hurt you."**

I point the kids towards the kitchen knives scattered across the ground.

**"What we're going to do kids, is we're gonna punish the bad man for what he did to you."** I stated with a smile on my face.** "You know, killing your friends and family, slowly torturing you, breaking your spirit, and all those such things, correct?"**

They all nod.

**"Well I've got good news for all of you."**

I hand a meat cleaver to a leopard-demihuman girl.

**"It's _your_ turn."**

She then looks at me with a concerned look.

**"Don't worry."**

Before Mr. Fatty can even think about breathing, I give him a swift stomp-kick to his teeth with my heel, and breaking his possible psychological assault/#microaggressions.

**"He can't hurt you anymore."** I pointed out as I continued to stomp his teeth back into the gums that they sprouted out of.** "But it's _your _****responsibility to make sure of that."**

With those words spoken out, the kids then begin to pick up the knives and slowly approach the bound pig, all of them adopting a frenzied and borderline-starved look in their eyes.

**"You see that, pig?"** I spoke out with glee as I took a step back out.** "That's them, taking back their future that you've destroyed piece by piece. Now they're going to carve your ass up piece by piece!"**

All the pig of man do is _squeal_.

**"A once wise (not really) peacock once said; 'The dead exist in the past, and I _must_ tend to the future'."**

The hog's flailing was starting to become more violent, but thankfully, _it won't be for long_.

**"NOW LET'S GIVE IT EVERYTHING WE GOT!"** I roared out with unbound euphoria.** "IIIIIIIIIIT'S [PUNISHMENT] TIME!"**

... And with that, all I heard was my own, crazed-_no_.

Liberated.

Yeah. _Liberated_ laughter. Echoing throughout the night sky. My cackles ringing like hell's bells signaling the poor fuck's guaranteed _damnation_.

**GAME OVER**

**[Idol Rabier] has been found guilty.**

**Time for [Idol Rabier]'s [Punishment]****!**

**Switching POV: Rio Murasame**

She just arrived only to find the following.

Demihuman children crudely and wildly chopping up a fat man like amateur slaughterhouse workers with various kitchen knives.

And Nan laughing his ass off amidst the carnage ensuing.

"What the hell's going on?"

Rio managed to spit out those words before dropping her sword and vomiting onto the floor below.

"Oh!" A chipper voice called out to Rio.

She looks up, to find Wyndia reaching out her hand towards her.

"You alright, Rio?" The dog-girl called out.

"... I'll be fine." Rio groaned out. "Just what the hell's going on with the whole_ Lord of the Flies_ bullshit?"

"What's Lord of the Flies?" Wyndia asked. "Is it a monster's name or something?"

"... You know what?" Rio sighed out. "You do you, and I'll just go back to losing my lunch."

The Japanese girl goes back to vomiting as the cacophony of both cheering, muffled screaming, laughing, and stabbing were resumed.

**Switching POV: Melty Q. Melromarc**

The princess looks out towards the castle and to her surprise, the castle itself _wasn't_ completely burnt to the ground.

The pile after piles of bodies laid askew everywhere as if a hurricane brushed past this patch of land, however?

Completely within her _expectations_, but no less nauseating.

"Even mother would be aghast at this sight..." Melty winced out as she carefully stepped around a mutilated soldier's corpse.

"Well, I for one say good riddance." Fohl, her estranged demihuman cousin spat out as he kicked one of the bodies off of the bridge's ledge. "If what Nan says is true about them, then they had this coming for a while."

Behind her, Malva grows weak on her knees and stumbles.

"Are you well, dear?" Khronos asked.

"... I'm sorry." The wine-haired lady answered out. "Just not used to seeing my fellow human killed liked this..."

"Well you were rather passive when our home guards were routed off back then, so I have no excuses." The white tiger-demihuman replied. "Then again, such is death and conflict that proceeded it."

Melty pinches her the bridge of her nose, trying to keep her bearing together amidst the fabricated chaos.

"Well..." Melty sighed out. "At least things can get any worse-"

She then saw Atlas (another of her estranged demihuman cousin) collapse onto her knees and starts vomiting.

"... Me and my big mouth." Melty winced out.

"Atlas, what's wrong?" Malva rushed to her daughter's side.

The young white tiger-girl continues to vomit as she feebly pointed her finger towards the castle.

"... Don't go in there..." Atlas's voice trembled out. "... Only death... awaits..."

_"... Just what was Atlas inferring to?"_ Melty thought.

Curious, she runs ahead towards the castle gates, and finds the [Scythe Saint] and his party (including a random middle-aged man) lying on the ground, unconscious.

"... Wha-What the hell's going on?" Melty asked out as she resumed her dash towards the castle courtyard, where she finds the main force crowding around something, all cheering and chanting various words relating towards the vocabulary structure of somewhere between "kill" and "kill your family" (the latter is not exactly said around the crowd, but something in the back of her head says that the phrase goes really well with the former, and yes, she blames Nan for that mere thought).

She then pushes through the raving crowd, dodging and squirming her way through the rabble of human, demihuman, undead, and eldritch horrors (much to her chagrin) alike, eventually reaching the epicenter of the energy.

... She honestly wishes that she hadn't done such thing in the first place.

**"YO! PRINCESS!" **

The now-_borderline crazed_ Nan approached her with a spring in his step, and a wide shit-eating grin on his face.

**"So what brings you here, milady-"**

With all her strength, she gives the maddened [Tome Fallen] a swift kick to his balls, bringing him to his knees in an instant.

"JUST WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU EVEN THINKING!?" Melty roared out as she pointed towards the freed demihuman kids butchering their former captive.

**"... In fairness, Princess."** Nan groaned out.** "It was kind of a spur of a moment thing."**

Overcome with rage, she smacks him across his faces, knocking off his synthetic silver cheek, fracturing her hand a little bit.

"'Spur of a moment thing', my behind." Melty _snarled_ out. "I've tolerated your lunacy by keeping my silence, but that little show put on there, was the last, damn straw."

The [Tome Fallen] groans in pain for a moment, before crawling towards where the silver plate resembling a jawbone was at, picking it up, and stamping it back over his exposed cavity on his right cheek.

"I may be powerless to stop you myself." Melty pointed out. "Hell, I'm fully aware I'm fodder to your little 'family' should you will it, but that doesn't mean I'll keep being passive! I have call you out, [Tome Fallen]! YOU'RE FORCING THESE CHILDREN TO KILL!"

Nan picks himself back up onto his feet before staring down at the Crown Princess.

**"Two things wrong with that statement."** Nan stated.** "One, I'm not forcing those children to kill. I gave them a choice to either kill their past to reclaim their future, or not. They simply chose the former. I'm a mass-murderer, not a complete monster."**

Nan then crouches down towards Melty's eye level, staring down at her own eyes with his mismatched set of plain black and _glowing red_.

**"And** **two." **Nan continued.** "I see no reason to act upon your claims of me ending you, as you so aptly pointed out. Why should I kill someone who hasn't earned my utmost of scorn? After all, I don't recall you gloating about anything that would say, tickle my fancy, whereas Rabier over here made me want to vomit from his mere existence alone, so he had to be... _punished_ with extreme prejudice, to put it aptly. Simply put, I see no reason to force my hand upon you, milady. My only wish is to enact actual justice without getting other people involved."**

"Then explain." Melty asked while she dragged Nan's collar closer towards her. "Explain why that you had to kill everyone in the castle. Not only the guards, but also the maids, the servants, and I mean everyone!"

**"I've also taken that into account, and frankly milady, I must ask..."**

Nan grabs her dress's collar and hoists it towards himself, bringing her closer to his face, with his right eye's red light glowing even brighter than usual.

**"... Do you think anyone remotely sane, would work for a pig of a man like him!?"** Nan pointed out.** "A man, by your own admission, that was considered too repulsive for your father's standards, which, may I recall, that your father was also a raging racist and potential warmonger, so by that logic, DOES THAT MAKE ANY SENSE TO YOU, AT ALL!?"**

"THEY MUST'VE HAD THEIR REASONS!" Melty retorted. "NOT ALL CASTLE SERVANTS AND LORDS THINK ALIKE!"

**"BUT THEY'VE DONE NOTHING TO CHANGE IT!"** Nan roared back.** "THAT'S THEIR CRIME! THE GREATEST SIN OF MAN, _COMPLACENCY_!"**

Melty is then thrown to the ground, onto the puddle of blood seeping from Rabier's now-_butchered_ corpse.

**"I won't take ****ignorance, fear, or complacency as an excuse for their actions up to now."** Nan claimed.** "The [Punishment] has already been dealt, the accomplices have also been dealt with, and all that is left is to make sure that Rabier's name and legacy is wiped from the very face of the earth."**

Melty, brushing off the blood stained onto her dress, stands back up and confronts Nan once more.

"To what end, Nan?" Melty asked. "Just what are you trying to accomplish through your madness?"

His right eye gleams with a shine of blood red.

**"Let's just say... that I'm taking the words of a certain great man to heart."** Nan answered.** "'_Be the change that you want to see in the world.'_ Those are the words I now walk my road of life on."**

_Change_.

That's what the [Tome Fallen] meant that he's no [Hero].

But what does he want to change in this world?

And what will that change be like?

What will it herald?

Just what will countless deaths and destruction of civilization herald in the madman's crusade against this world?

Those thoughts begin to overwhelm her, slowly devouring her sanity piecemeal like carrion feasted upon by a committee of vultures.

Melty lets out a small chuckle, devolving into tears upon the reached revelation.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

Aw sonofabitch, I _broke_ her.

Even though I was just being honest.

So with the dead body, the kids now each reaching their catharsis, and a job well done, I guess that means I can relax for a moment.

But first, priorities.

**"Everyone."** I ordered.** "Loot out the damn castle, take whatever that isn't nailed down, leave no nook or cranny unturned, and burn the rest down."**

I looked at the kids as my main forces began clearing out the castle for things.

**"As for you folk..."** I stated.** "Honey, can you take a few volunteers to get them cleaned up? The journey ahead will be a bit of a long haul for a bit longer, but it's for their sake."**

Strelitzia and a few girls from the [Rebel Infantry] guide the kids into the manor, following the looters into the castle.

**"Gaelion, Yaelia, keep an eye out on the outside with Aabidah."** I ordered the two [Dragons].** "I'll be fine on my own."**

The two fly off where the [Ziz] was at, with the [Wyrmlich] getting on top of the [Dragon Emperor]'s back.

In the courtyard, it was just me and Grimm, surrounded by dead bodies, and one unconscious princess.

**"Grimm."** I called out to the snarling tome.** "You alright now?"**

The snarling tones down into deep breathing.

**"... Never better, kiddo."** Grimm heaved out.** "Had to let it out for a bit. Also, that justice, was perfectly executed."**

I then felt the [Ten Primordial Sins] fade away, my sanity slowly recovering back to a "calm" state.

"... You know what's funny, Grimm?" I asked.

**"What is it?"**

"... I really don't feel proud of myself right now." I pointed out. "What Melty said? Part of what she said was kinda true."

**"Really?"** Grimm replied in confusion.** "You're taking her words over your own instincts?"**

I look at bloodstained left hand.

"... Every time I lose myself, I feel like I'm losing my humanity, both figuratively, and quite literally." I pointed out. "All I want to do is to save innocents and punish the wicked, kinda like what [Heroes] are supposed to do. But the more I think about it, I gotta ask; is becoming the greater evil to destroy the lesser evil even worth it?"

**"... Okay, suppose what if that royal brat said was partially right."** Grimm retorted.** "Sure, becoming a greater evil to mete justice towards the lesser evil; that's considered morally ****askew, but I gotta ask, do you think true justice can be brought in the hands of the overly self-righteous and blind, only _thinking_ that they're good?"**

"Of course not." I answered. "Because unlike them, I know what I'm doing is painting myself as a complete monster."

**"So why do you do it?" **Grimm asked.

"... Because it's not in me to just sit around a do nothing about it." I replied. "I have all this power, all this knowledge, and all of these folks that I can call family, so of course I'll take action when injustice is meted out towards the innocent. Even if it means that my actions will make me a monster, I'm perfectly willing to kill ten for the sake of saving one, because the 'one' is all that matters in my journey."

**"Towards what?"**

"... The truth." I answered. "I want to become the 'truth', to show that sapience is ugly, yet it's our responsibility to be aware of our ugliness, and be haunted by our actions. I want to show the whole world, that whatever they build will inevitably destroyed, whether through time or force, because what matters is that they can rebuild without hubris."

**"So you want better your fellow man."** Grimm pointed out.** "By becoming both the archetypical good and evil."**

"Something tells me that's not the whole goal, but yeah. Close enough, I guess." I replied.

We both share a small chuckle.

"So you're gonna eat those bodies?" I asked my [Forbidden Tome].

**"Haven't eaten in a good while, so might as well gorge."**

"Don't eat the blue-haired princess." I pointed out. "She ain't dead. I mean, look, she's literally twitching like a half-dead fish."

"Speak for yourself."

In front of me, the remaining members of the Hakuko Clan were before me, with Malva checking on the still-twitching Melty.

"... Grateful as I am that you and your band managed to eradicate that fat bastard and clean out his hole, even I think this is overkill." Khronos pointed out.

"You're welcome, and I have no excuses whatsoever." I replied.

... I can't watch anymore.

I take off my cloak, wrap her whole body up like a human burrito, pick her up in my arms, and carry her away.

"... Sorry about... well, everything." I quietly apologized to the cationic princess and to the Hakuko family. "It ain't much, but, I do what I-"

I then hear barfing sounds coming from a certain corner of this dark castle.

I turn to find Genbu, now vomiting from his post-bender.

"Goddamnit, you've ruined the moment." I pointed out.

I was answered with more vomiting.

"... At least someone enjoyed himself." Atlas bitterly muttered out.

**Switching POV: "Dunban"**

The aged man slowly woke up from his slumber.

_"Ugh..."_ The man groggily thought._ "Thank God almighty that I slipped in a smellingsalt underneath my tongue and faked my nap. Thing stings like bugger."_

Looking around the castle, he notices the following:

One, the main ground forces are too preoccupied looting the manor of its riches, with no one outside on the ground to keep watch, leaving various blind spots open.

Two, there were two eyes in the sky, both being [Dragons], out of all things, so in essence, he was just as susceptible to getting caught as he get a quick getaway.

And three, he himself was still a little numb from the knockout, realizing that whatever put him and the [Scythe Saint]'s whole party to sleep was just as potent as his countermeasures.

Sneakily, he checks for his belongings.

[Compact Steel Spear], [Steel Shortsword], and the most important object on his person.

... The [Three Heroes Church Crucifix].

_"If I recall the intel correctly, Rabier's land here apparently resides a sealed beast that I can release with this..."_ Dunban thought._ "Gotta make sure I move in the dark, close to the walls, and hopefully my body recovers just in time for me to make a mad dash towards that __obelisk behind the castle grounds..."_

Slowly, he began to worm his way towards the castle's sealed grounds.

_"[Three Heroes] or not, that sonofabitch is too dangerous to be let loose upon Melromarc, let alone, this whole damn continent."_

**Switching POV: Seiryu and Suzaku**

As their merry band began taking whatever wasn't nailed down from the manor, the [Blue Tyrera Queen] and her surrogate [Red Filoial King] baby brother were standing in front of a locked door, with the younger picking the door's lock with his [Heat Dart].

"Gotta be careful not to weld the locking mechanisms together..." The [Adventurer] mumbled to himself. "... Normally, regular shivs would've done the trick, but if I break anymore silverware, I get the distinct feeling that Nan might get mad."

"Why not just break down the door?" Seiryu suggested. "I mean, we're not gonna need the door intact or anything, right?"

"There's 24-Karat gold laced in this door, I spotted roughly six trapdoors on our way here, and I'm almost done with my lock picking, so if you can just... almost... got it!"

The lock clicks open as Suzaku removes his rope dart from the keyhole.

The boy turns the doorknob, opening the door leading towards a stairwell to a presumed storage.

"Come on." Suzaku stated as he lit one of the torches from the stairwell. "The loot ain't gonna move itself."

The two then venture deep into the twisting stairwell, each step reverberating from the faded masonry to their bare feet tapping against the course surface.

At the end, another door was standing before them.

"So baby bro?" Seiryu asked. "Anything?"

"Look up."

Above them was a suspiciously-placed hatch-like compartment.

"Smell anything?" Suzaku asked.

"... Something disgusting." Seiryu winced out as she pinched her nostrils shut. "Like... actual shit, but it's on fire..."

Suzaku gulps.

"Only got one shot at this then..."

He takes out his [Heat Dart] and begins to pick the lock.

"Thought so..." He murmured. "Anyone competent enough would install different kinds of locks for security, but it's only considered stupid when there's a universal skeleton key, and if there were, someone would've likely found it and-"

Suzaku sniffs the air.

Something was _burning_, and it was right above his head.

"... That's shit on a timer, isn't it?"

He then increases the speed of his work, while taking into account of the presumably an _entire vat of boiling tar_ looming over his head.

Sweat begins to drip down to his cheeks as the pressure continues to mount, with just one wrong nick being all it takes for him to be fried chicken.

"Here we go..." He whispered out. "It's life or death."

The final lock has been released.

Suzaku opens the door, all the while looking up at the trapdoor.

"... I-I did it." Suzaku stated in relief. "B-Big sis! I DID IT-"

When he looked towards his rear, Suzaku saw her sister charge towards her with a panicked expression on her face.

"LOOK OUT, DUMBASS!"

Seiryu tackles Suzaku into the chamber, with the [Red Filolial King] seeing a cascade of boiling black rain down upon their heads.

The two crash through the door, with the boiling tar trap hissing upon hitting the cold stone floors...

... And Seiryu's entire right foot.

The dragon girl screeches out in pain as both she and Suzaku scrambled out of the steaming puddle of dark sludge.

"OMIGOD, BIG SIS!" Suzaku squawked out in panic.

"... Ha-Ha-I'm fine, r-really." The [Blue Tyrera Queen] reassured. "... I-I'm a [Dragon], after all. A little burn ain't gonna kill me."

"But it still hurt you." Suzaku pointed out as he wrapped ointment-coated bandages around her bare right foot. "That's more then enough reason to worry. That, and my carelessness."

"Ain't your fault, kiddo." Seiryu assured. "Blame the guy who built that shit."

The [Red Filolial King] nods.

"... Can you walk?" Suzaku asked.

Seiryu answers by taking out her [Rune Slayer] club-sword, and pitches herself back upright like if she's using a cane.

"Good enough?" She replied.

"Stupid question, then." Suzaku answered with satisfaction. "Now let's see if there's anything good down here."

The two then began exploring the dark depths of the storage, finding gold, treasures, a few rare-looking [Equipments], and a few heirlooms that might fetch a pretty penny or two.

"Just how the are we supposed to carry all of them out of here?" Seiryu pointed out at the overabundance of loot before them. "We ain't [Heroes], so we can only carry so much at the same time."

"Hmm..." Suzaku thought. "... If Nan were here, then he would go after the things we can use in combat before the gold, at least, that's how I perceive it."

"So the [Equipment] then?" Seiryu replied.

"Take many as you can carry." Suzaku answered. "Pocket a few coins or gems if you can fit them in your pocket, but when it comes to priorities on the [Equipment], [Weapons] first, [Accessories] second, and [Armors] third, since that's how we can realistically carry them out of here."

"Got it-OW!"

Something bumps Seiryu's nose right in front of her.

"Um... Suzaku?" Seiryu called out.

"What?" He replied through a clutter of sheathed blades and plate mails.

"... I think I found something."

Suzaku points his torch at front of Suzaku, only to be greeted by a draconic-looking maw gaping open towards the two.

... Encased in a semi-translucent yellow-orange rock.

"What the hell is that thing?" Suzaku whispered out in horror.

"... Is it a bad time to tell you that thing in the rock might be _alive_?" Seiryu nervously pointed out.

"Let's just take what we can and get the hell out, alright?" Suzaku asked.

"Agreed."

The two then continue their acquisition of the rare [Equipments] lying around the chambers, all the while trying their best to ignore the_ giant sealed beast_ in the room.

"Alright..." Suzaku sighed out. "... I think this is good enough."

"Sooner we're out of this place, the better..." Seiryu agreed.

The two then slowly make their way back towards the ajar door, bogged down by the combined weight of their loot.

However, as soon as they reach the door, the stone sealing the beast within begins to _illuminate_.

No words but the following were said.

"RUN!"

The two bolted as the sealed beast breached through its amber prison, unleashing its terrible wrath upon the world that had forgotten it.

**Tyrannosaurus Diabolus Rex**

**Hold onto your butts.**

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

So here we were, back at our little R&R, Melty's still out of it, Genbu's still puking out chunks, the Hakukos were doing their best _not_ to strangle me, and as for me and Grimm...

... I guess doing absolutely nothing after nonstop action is a good way to recuperate.

"So..." I asked my tome. "... We did good?"

**"We did great."**

He then lets out a burp, spitting out a loose femur, picked clean of its meat.

I try and close my eyes just to temporarily close myself off from the crazy world around me, attempting to find some solace.

I probe deeper into the depths of my own mind, and at the epicenter, I find _something_, oddly enough.

So much for a little me-time.

"Umm..." I called out towards something. "... Don't mean to sound so presumptuous, but what are you?"

That thing then morphs into my visage, right down to the last detail.

**"Oh come on."** The reflection replied.** "I've been with you since you were born. Hell, everyone sapient has their own versions of me floating around in their noggin."**

"... So you're like my inner self?" I answered. "A sort of like my own conciseness taken tangible form?"

**"Sure, let's go with that." **My inner self replied. **"While you were more receptive to my presence compared to the other Neanderthals back at our world, it was only after we got dragged into this shithole that I started to gain a... sort of a _will_, of my own, to put it mildly."**

"Now that I think about it..." I thought out loud. "... My behavior as of late seems to be more... instinctual then it usually is. I mean, at first, it was my prior knowledge of the world's source material that drove my survival instincts to borderline arrogant levels..."

**"Then came the world's worst game of five-finger-fillet, and everything went sort of downhill from there."**

"Right." I agreed. "In hindsight, putting my actual body on the line in situations where I really needn't so kinda bit me in the ass long-term."

**"... So who's supposed to be the smart one here, wiseguy?" **My inner self berated me.

"Hilarious, but I'll pass." I replied. "I already have plans to take responsibility for my actions up to now, and FYI, you're partially to blame for this, you know."

**"Elaborate."**

"Why am I resting when I should be in high alert right now?" I asked. "Last time I checked, the [Three Heroes Church] bastards are persistent as they are racist."

**"Look pal."** My inner self spoke out.** "Being wary is good and all, but I need you well in order for me to keep functioning. Healthy body, healthy mind, after all."**

"Touche." I snarked. "Although I can't exactly tell if you're trying to encourage me or berate me for my moments of idiocy."

**"Then here's a newsflash."** My inner self called out.** "You know _Barney_?"**

... I thought I forgot about _something_.

"... Aw son of a-"

"-BITCH!" I cried out as I woke up.

My eyes shot towards the pillar, seeing the same old geezer that was with L'Arc's party.

... Sonofabitch, he played them for utter fools!

"EVERYONE, RUN!" I roared out as I reloaded my [Grimoire Heart] and picked up the now-asleep Genbu, reeking of overaged wine from his snores alone.

I dash towards the bastard and fire my magic gun towards.

... A [Snowball] strikes his face, not even fazing him.

"OF ALL THE TIMES, A FUCKING DUD!?" I roared out in rage as I shot my gun again.

... Too little, too late.

The crucifix in his grip glows in a malevolent magenta light, causing the obelisk to react.

The ground below me begins to quake, as the pillar begins to light up like beacon of my resumed torture known as my current life.

"Sorry kiddo." The man spoke to me.

"'SORRY' MY ASS!" I roared back. "YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHAT YOU'RE RELEASING UPON THIS WORLD, RIGHT!?"

"That, I know too well." He replied. "By the way, tell the kid with the scythe, that my stories were true, despite everything-"

He was promptly devoured whole before he can finish his elegy.

"Well, shit." I cursed. "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!? GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

The Hakukos take Melty and bolt out of the area.

And a good thing too, since before me, was a giant-ass purple T-Rex.

"... You know what, Grimm?" I spoke out as the beast stared me down with killing intent radiating from its mere presence. "I think I wasn't mad _enough_ beforehand when I butchered that hog."

**"You thinking what I'm thinking?" **He growled out with barely-restrained bloodlust.

"BIG BRO!"

The twins then come out of the door, with the injured Seiryu and Suzaku slung over their backs.

"The others, where are they?" I asked.

"They're evacuating the castle as we speak." Fubuki answered. "Rio, Rino, and Wyndia are leading, and the [Dragons] themselves are on their way.

And right on cue, Gaelion and Yaelia both land adjacent towards me, with both letting out resounding roars that reverberated throughout the night sky.

"And of the Hakukos and L'Arc and company?" I asked.

"Byakko and the other [Perfected Homunculus] staff took care of that." Garou answered.

I sigh in relief.

"... Good."

I reactivate my [Ten Primordial Sins] once again, letting the primal darkness flow thorough my veins, imbuing with unbelievable power.

"Big bro, your orders?" Garou asked.

I grin as I load in a rolled [Tome] page into my [Grimoire Heart] back to six.

My grin becomes wider as my [Scribes] all appear behind me, from the clattering [Liches] to the growling and snarling [Gnolls], all ready to resume their work.

**"... Ice that ugly motherfucker."**

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Kept you all waiting for a while, huh?

I got until the 21st until Winter 2020 starts, so a little wiggle room has been provided for me.

So about this chapter, a few revisions were made there and there, a few character developments there and there, you know, the works.

Now, the two things that's been going on in my shitshow of a life.

First, my old man is dead at the age of 50, funeral was done and over with, gave a speech, family got the ashes, and made a promise to myself that I don't end up like he did, because that would suck.

If there's one solace to this, is that at least he died with the people that he loved being with him.

... I swear, it's just depressing in concept to even write this out, but I just gotta explain myself somehow.

And two, my health.

Finals, my dad being dead, and along with the fact that I myself am emotionally oblivious, so the body took the brunt of the stress-induced punishment.

At least I can eat meat and white rice, but gotta avoid anything wheat flour-based (hard to digest in my current state) or any raw vegetables (methane) like the fucking plague.

I exercise daily just to keep myself regular, been getting acupuncture at least once or twice a week, been on peptol-bismol for about a week and a half, and lost about 30 pounds of body weight for the past three to four weeks.

... As one can clearly read, it's been fun (not really).

I'll try not to utterly cripple myself, because growing up may suck hard, but growing up in a hospital cot sucks even harder.

Worst part?

I can already tell that Christmas is gonna suck this year, but I was promised a Hi-Resolution Astray Noir.

Oh, and one last thing.

Throughout writing this fic and reading through other Shieldbro OC fics, the common complaint about them seems to be on how much they seem to follow the set plot points, culminating in the same story with different characters.

The whole reason why I'm slashing Rabier early are for two reasons:

A: the longer I keep him in the plot, the more likely that my blood vessel will likely pop from excess stress while drafting.

B: I plan to make this my story, not Naofumi's. He had his day in the sun, and now my OC's gonna blow it up, both his story and the sun (probably).

Venting over, time for the stat updates.

* * *

**_Stat Updates (Current Party):  
_**

* * *

**Name: [Rising Conqueror] [Nan Hon-Jah]**

**Class: [Tome Fallen]**

**Level: 75**

**Affinities: [Ten Primordial Sins]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Mad**

**Equipment: [Forbidden Tome, Grimm the Heretic], [Grimoire Heart], [Lemegeton], [****Sibylline****], [Necromancer's Robes]. [Mire Boots], [Wight's Rune of Spite], [Silver Wolf's Maw], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Visage of Madness], [Mystic Geas: Puppeteer], [Portable Dragon's Hourglass]**

**Battalion: [Scribes]**

**Attack: 86 (+195)**

**Defense: 83 (+10)**

**Agility: 84 (+75)**

**Luck: 76 (+85)**

**HP: 640 (+95)**

**MP: 730 (+305)**

* * *

**Name: [Genbu]**

**Class: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Affinites: None**

**Alignment: ?**

**Equipment: [Wayward Nomad's Garbs], [Silver Pocket Watch & Chain], [Silver Shortsword], [Silver Buckler], [Fafnir's Flametongue]**

**Attack: ?**

**Defense: ?**

**Agility: ?**

**Luck: 9,999**

**HP: ?**

**MP: ?**

* * *

**Name: [Garou]**

**Class: [Slave Brawler]**

**Level: 49**

**Affinities: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Assassin's Leather Armor], [Nightshroud], [Blade Gauntlets], [Primal Claws], [Katars]**

**Attack: 61 (+50)**

**Defense: 47 (-20)**

**Agility: 59 (+65)**

**Luck: 45 (+20)**

**HP: 310 (+20)**

**MP: 230 (+20)**

* * *

**Name: [Fubuki]**

**Class: [Slave Monk]**

**Level: 48**

**Affinites: [Ice]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Twilight Gunstaff], [Darkbane Gauntlets], [Twilight Cloak], [Twilight Hunter's Hood], [Mana Medallion]**

**Attack: 56 (+45)**

**Defense: 43 (+30)**

**Agility: 53 (+25)**

**Luck: 45 (+20)**

**HP: 390 (-50)**

**MP: 640 (+100)**

* * *

**Name: [Seiryu]**

**Class: [Tyrera Queen Spell Fencer]**

**Level: 46**

**Affinites: [Water]**

**Alignment: True Neutral**

**Equipment: [Rune Slayer], [Barbarian Armor], [Barbarian Helm], [Berserk Rune], [Berserker's Mantle], [Chimera Teeth Necklace]**

**Attack: 54 (+125)**

**Defense: 51 (+55)**

**Agility: 27 (+20)**

**Luck: 26 (-10)**

**HP: 247/570 (+250)**

**MP: 200 (+65)**

* * *

**Name: [Suzaku]**

**Class: [Filolial King Adventurer]**

**Level: 47**

**Affinites: [Fire]**

**Alignment: True Neutral**

**Equipment: [Heat Nail], [Vermilion Robes], [Rouge's Cowl], [Mark of the Apex Predator], [Celestial Rune of Protection], [Mark of the Shadow Dancer], [Mark of the Apostle]**

**Attack: 64 (+120)**

**Defense: 21 (+15)**

**Agility: 90 (+70)**

**Luck: 74 (+40)**

**HP: 33/130 (+40)**

**MP: 130 (+40)**

* * *

So, what you guys think of this Epic?

How will our so-called heroes will put down Barney the Purple Dinosaur?

And for fuck's sake, will there be even more Danganronpa references every time [Punishment] is used!?

Leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience are thinking.


	23. Epic 23: The Rampage Part 3

**_Continuing self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_Waiting for Season 2..._**

**_Finger Count: 5/10_**

**_Eye Count: 2/2_**

**_Sanity Meter: 5%_**

**_Death Counter: 1_**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

**Epic 23: The Rampage Part 3**

* * *

The massive fanged beast lets out an admittedly ear-shattering roar.

**"WE KNOW, ASSHOLE!"** I roared back amidst my second power trip.** "YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE SO LOUD ABOUT IT!"**

Before any of us could do anything, Gaelion and Yaelia bumrush Barney in a heartbeat.

**"... Before we join in on this little tussle, permission to do something constructive?" **I asked my party members as the three technically-[Dragons] went at it like crazed mongrels.

"Eh, give us time to heal the two." Fubuki replied as she and Garou laid down Seiryu and Suzaku on the ground as I recalled my [Scribes] back into Grimm's pages.

Without a word, I [Analyze] the T-Rex.

... If they could stand still for just a second, I would-

**Name: [Berserk ****Tyrannosaurus Diabolus Rex****]**

**Class: [Boss Encounter]**

**Level: 70**

**Affinity: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Evil**

**Item Drops: [Draconic Fang x40] (70%), [Emperor Core x1] (25%), [Crown of Damnation x1] (10%)**

**Attack: 120**

**Defense: 115**

**Agility: 97**

**Luck: 60**

**HP: 1340**

**MP: 90**

Got it.

**"So, anyone got any ideas?" **

Grimm was reverted back to his feral state, Fubuki was taking forever to heal the two siblings-by-oath, Garou was lookout, and the [Dragons] were still at it at each other.

**"... Fuck it."** I muttered out.** "Thank god I'm good at improv."**

I point [Grimoire Heart] at the three-[Dragon] mosh pit, and fire out [Freeze Blade].

Barney turns its ugly mug towards me.

**"HEY JAGOFF!"** I called out with all my might.** "... Actually, I don't have a good follow-up for that."**

"THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE CONCERNED ABOUT!?" Everyone else cried out in unison.

**"Who care, I got what I wanted."**

And as the laws of causality and karma dictates, I proceed to bolt as the Jurassic Park-reject comes running after me.

... With me bolting_ towards_ him, springing my legs towards Barney's own, latch on, and allowing me to exploit its one, sole weakness.

The thing about T-Rexes?

Their legs, while powerful and the sole reason why running away from an angry T-Rex was the prime definition of tactical suicide, it was anything but _flexible_.

So by latching onto its massive legs, not only it can't reach me with its jaws, but with Gaelion and Yaelia distracting it combined with its [Berserk] affix setting him up on an "attack, attack, attack" mentality...

... I get to play_ Monster Hunter 4_ with it.

**"YEE-HAW, BARNEY!"**

Grimm's chains coil around the dinosaur's jaw hinge as I mounted onto its back.

Now for the hard part.

**"Who-WHOA!"** I yelled out.** "I DON'T THINK MY SPINE IS SUPPOSED TO TORQUE THAT WAY!"**

I did my fair share of mounting unruly beasts, but Barney here takes the proverbial cake.

Especially when it immediately bucks me off of its back, with the only thing keeping me flying into its jawline being be wrapped around the dinosaur's neck by Grimm's chains.

**"Thanks man."**

... I should probably dismount, now that the there are two, massive [Dragon Emperor] and [Wyrmlich Empress] charging towards my direction.

**"GRIMM! DISENGAGE!"**

The chains come loose, and I bail as the three [Dragons] clash once more.

I hit the ground, and bolt back towards where the rest of my party was at.

**"... So much for that."** I groaned out in disappointment.** "Now we're back to where we started."**

"Um, Nan?"

I look back and see Seiryu and Suzaku healed, and the twins both giving me confused looks.

"What was your plan to begin with?" Garou aptly pointed out.

**"Alright, the truth was, I was planning to steer the damn lizard out of this castle and lure it out towards a more, open area and bombard it with a shitload of [Ice] magic, and worst-case ****scenario, I could exploit Barney's [Emperor] status and lure out another [Emperor]/[Empress] to let it fight for me, but an even-worse-case-scenerio occurs afterwards, we bolt with my [Teleport]."**

The twins give me flat looks of slight disapproval, while Seiryu and Suzaku had smoke coming out of their ears.

"... That's easily the most convoluted plan that I've ever heard from you, big bro. And even then, your plans in general are a little hard to follow at times." Garou pointed out.

"Really, it's even a miracle that your previous plan of raiding this castle worked like a charm in the first place." Fubuki added.

**"Eh, I try."** I replied with a shrug.** "I mean, I'm not what you call the sanest person to be around."**

"We know." All four of them answered in unison.

I look around our surroundings and notice something.

**"... Guys, where's Genbu-"**

"WOO-HOO! RIDIN' ON THE CRAZY TRAAAAAAAIN!"

Two things.

First, I smell aged wine coming from somewhere.

Second, Genbu himself was riding on top of Barney's crown while he himself was completely shitfaced.

**"... Okay, time for Plan B." **I announced. **"First, I need all four of you to fucking run for it-"**

I look back and see them gone.

**"... That saved me roughly five seconds of explaining that I'm currently wasting." **

With that, engaging Plan B.

**"GAELION! YAELIA!"** I called out.** "FOLLOW ME!"**

I hook over the castle roof as the two [Dragons] lure Barney towards me.

Good. It noticed me.

**"Alright, time to stress test."** I told myself as Barney down there looks up towards me on the castle roof.** "[Dritte Freeze Bolt]!"**

As it roared out, opening its mouth, I shoot the magic directly into its throat, freezing its windpipe.

It chokes on the contents I gave it, right before its movements become noticeably more sluggish.

**"Thought so."** I grinned.** "[Dragon] or [Dragon Emperor], doesn't change the fact that you're _cold-blooded_."**

It then begins to slam its whole body against the manor in futility, trying to take me down like some sort of treed cat.

Now while would gloat, I have other things to deal with.

Mainly, phase 3.

**"Alright, to the gates!"** I ordered.** "Outside, now!"**

I jump from rooftop to rooftop, evading the dinosaur quickly as possible, and bolt towards the gates in front of me.

I make a mad dash across the bridge as soon as Barney lets out a roar right before I hear its footsteps.

**"AW SHIT! AW SHIT! AW SHIT!"** I cursed as I ran faster as Barney came after me.

The bridge itself was comically small, only wide enough to accommodate about, like what, one to two carriages?

The T-Rex was roughly the size of four, and due to its disproportionally-sized legs and general lack of human grace...

... Let's just say that the bridge itself also closing in on me too.

**"Oh this is gonna be close one..."** I muttered to myself as I kept running.** "... FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK-"**

In a moment of desperation, I make a leap of faith, eyes closed.

Why?

At that point, I was in a mutual check with Barney, so a desperate gamble outta be the deciding move.

"NAN!"

Something swoops me up from the ground.

I open my eyes, and find Gaelion ([Wyvern Emperor] form), and Wyndia, lifting me up to the dragon's back.

**"Thanks..."** I sighed out in relief. **"Almost died back there."**

"Umm, Nan?" The dog-girl spoke out. "Don't wanna be 'that guy', but isn't there a giant lizard that's running across a collapsing bridge and towards our friends?"

I look down, and see Genbu get thrown off of the dinosaur's head, with Byakko jumping up and catching him right out of the sky.

**"... Aw crap."**

I hastily aim my index finger towards the bridge.

**"Alright, time for phase 3."** I announced.

My mana reserves connect with the magic circles that I had planted beneath the bridge.

**"... AND ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST!"**

The entire bridge explodes into flames, causing it to collapse into the waters below.

Barney then takes a plunge with the rest of the bridge, while me and my folk head back to mainland in safety.

**"So..."** I spoke out as I got off of the dragon's back. **"... Is everyone here?"**

"All present." I heard Byakko.

**"Casualties?"** I asked.

"Only three on our side." One of my infantry spoke out. "Bastards got em where they didn't see comin'..."

**"We'll bury em later."** I stated. **"Right now, we need to kill that sonofabitch down there before it reaches mainland."**

"Um, how!?" Seiryu pointed out. "It's not like falling did anything to it!"

And fair enough, the reptilian bastard was still spry as a spring lily even after hitting the rocks below, as evidenced by its roar and its attempts to climb back up mainland.

**"True."** I stated in a dismissive tone. **"Which is why we have phase 4."**

I [Summon] my personal [Legion], the [Librarians].

**"Any one of you schmucks know _ice magic_?"** I asked the group of [Elder Mind Flayers], [Liches], and [Gnolls].

Everyone but the [Gnolls] raise their hand.

**"... What about the [Gnolls], then?"** I asked. **"What are they good at?"**

**"WE GOOD AT HYPING!"** One of the [Gnolls] barked out.** "MAKE MAGIC BOOM GO EVEN MORE BOOM!"**

**"... So buffing magic, then."** I replied.** "How exactly?"**

The head [Gnoll] smirks.

**"GET HYPED!"** The head [Gnoll] barked out.** "SIMMON GONNA LEAD THE HYPE PARTY!"**

He shoots up both of his hands, both of them forming the devil-finger pose while he and his pack are emitting an aura of pure power.

**"HYPE! HYPE! HYPE! HYPER HYPER HYPER!"** The [Gnolls] chanted while forming themselves into a mosh pit, heads bangs, hopping up and down, yipping and howling like now tomorrow.** "[HYPER HYPE!]"**

The aura of light surrounding them explode outwards, coating me with even more mana, and refining my own that's internally generated in me.

**"MAGIC NOW BOOM HARDER!"** Simmon barked out.** "MAGIC IS ALSO HYPED UP TO RAVE ALL NIGHT!"**

No further words need to be said.

**"ALRIGHT YOU BASTARDS!"** I roared out. **"ICE THE UGLY MOTHERFUCKER!"**

The [Elder Mind Flayers], [Liches], and myself all joined our mana together, forming a massive bolt of freezing energy that was _deathly cold_ to touch.

This much negative energy could essentially freeze the entire lake below us, but that's besides the point.

Because Barney's gonna go through a premature ice age-extinction _first_.

**"RIP EM A NEW ONE, BOYS!" **I ordered.

**"Umm... My body's female." **A [Lich Thaumaturge] spoke out.

**"OH, GROW A PAIR!"** A [Lich Necromancer] barked out.** "WE'RE ALL BONES HERE!"**

**"And we're technically genderless." **An [Elder Mind Flayer] pointed out.

**"WILL YOU GUYS FOCUS!?" **I roared out in exasperation.

Thankfully, the magic was done.

**"Now for the fun part..."** I grinned sadistically as I aimed the ice bolt towards Barney.** "FIRE!"**

We all joined hands to fire the ultimate culmination of ice magic.

**"[LEGION FREEZE BOLT]!"**

The missile of pure, unadulterated ice magic shoots towards Barney.

Upon direct hit, the T-Rex was smothered in a massive explosion of teeth-biting cold, engulfing the entire basin in a cloud of pure white, powdery snow.

The snowy haze slowly fades from the air, and there was Barney, encased inside of an_ iceberg_.

**"... Well now."** I spoke out.** "I'd say that's a job well done, buuuuuuut..."**

I shoot another ice magic towards the iceberg.

**"IT AIN'T DEAD YET!"** I roared out.** "KEEP FIRING ICE MAGIC AT IT! I WANT THE LIFE IN ITS EYES COMPLETELY EXTINGUISHED!"**

We just settle for pelting it with even more ice magic, with Fubuki, and even Yaelia joining in on the fun.

**"[DRITTE LICH'S BREATH]! ****[DRITTE LICH'S BREATH]! ****[DRITTE LICH'S BREATH]! ****[DRITTE LICH'S BREATH]! ****[DRITTE LICH'S BREATH]! ****[DRITTE LICH'S BREATH]! ****[DRITTE LICH'S BREATH]! ****[DRITTE LICH'S BREATH]! ****[DRITTE LICH'S BREATH]! ****[DRITTE LICH'S BREATH]! ****[DRITTE LICH'S BREATH]! ****[DRITTE LICH'S BREATH]! ****[DRITTE LICH'S BREAT-"**

**TWO HOURS LATER**

**"UGH...** bleh."

I collapse on the ground listless, in front of me, the recently-relocated _South Pole_.

"... Grimm, you alive?" I called out. "Matter of fact, everyone alive?"

"Napping." Fubuki groaned out from somewhere.

"Mom's back to her [Lichling] form." Wyndia stated. "... I think she's gonna be like this for a while."

**"We killed a former [Emperor], so no complaints here."** A [Lich Thaumaturge] spoke out.** "... Except for the fact that we almost depleted our own mana reserves."**

**"I GOT WOOD!"** I heard Simmons.** "AND I JUST CAME!"  
**

"Spectacular." I dryly muttered out. "Grimm?"

I look around in desperation, with worry growing each second passed of me not hearing his chains-

I hear snoring.

"... Ya nearly scared me half to death there, bro." I sighed out in relief, seeing the [Forbidden Tome] snoring without a care in the world.

With that said, I look back at the handiwork we've made.

A literal frozen wasteland, with the now-near-dead Barney as its sole resident.

A job well done, I must say.

"Alright." I stated as I slowly got back up. "After healing, resting, and getting our heads back together, let's go down and loot out what's left of the damn lizard. Any objections?"

"No objections here." Byakko stated as he began healing me while handing me [Intermediate Mana Potions].

And so while sun slowly rose up from the sky, me and my party were winding down, getting patched, burying our dead, and small note, the certain group of my infantry looked like the main cast of Symphogear?

... May or may not be important, but significance tends to vary at the most unexpected times.

After fully recovering, I take a few volunteers (Suzaku, Rio, & Rino) with me down to the frozen wastes to retrieve the loot.

And with that, came ice climbing.

Way harder then it looks. I would've used Aabidah's [Gale Aura] or just had Gaelion take us down there, but those two were sleeping.

I'm no slave driver, dammit. They earned their rest, so we'll do it my way.

We reach the bottom, with the temperature around us plummeting.

I cast [Hell Aura] to combat the cold, covering us in a reddish-black aura contrast to the white-blue ice surrounding us.

"... C-C-C-Come on." I chattered out. "S-S-Sooner we get the loot, the better."

After a few minutes of traversing throughout my self-made hell, I find Barney.

I look at its eyes, and yep.

Dead as a doornail.

"Okay, we found the damn thing." Suzaku pointed out. "How the hell are we supposed to dig it out-"

With the sun's rays shining onto the ice around us, we cover our eyes from the gleam.

... I hear something collapsing.

We look in front of us, and see a pile of broken ice and a bone crown with a jewel at its center.

"... Less work for us." Rio pointed out. "Anything else in the rubble?"

"I'll help." Rino stated as she pitched in.

I pick up the [Crown of Damnation] as the other two find a few loose [Dragon Fangs] in the ice pile.

Once we finish collecting what's left of Barney, we climb back out of the freezing hellhole and back to mainland, where I find fresh corpses laden about the ground.

"What the hell happened here?" I asked.

"Few of the jackholes patrolling outside tried to get the jump on us." Garou stated. "Also, potential eyewitnesses. Might've snitched on us while we weren't looking."

Aw crap, forgot that Rabier kept outer patrols to boot.

"Well, at least they'll be able to pick up their checks in wherever they end up..." I muttered to myself. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

With the frozen wastes behind us, me and my party ride out of Rabier's territory and towards somewhere... more friendly, shall we put.

"Whereto next, Nan?" Fubuki asked.

"... Somewhere nice, a place _not_ worth setting ablaze." I answered as I took out a block of wood and unfolded my [Bandit's Silver Thumb].

As the carriage carried onwards towards its next destination, I took the blade to the block and began carving out a projection of my thoughts.

Said thought in question?

**[The Next Choice].**

**Switching POV: L'Arc Berg**

*Rumble*

*THUD*

"ARGH!"

L'Arc hits his shoulder against course-surfaced wood.

He slowly opens his eyes, only for them to be greeted by burning daylight.

"Ugh..." The [Scythe Saint] groans out. "... Morning already-WAIT A MINUTE!"

In panic, he looks around, and sees that he was in a moving carriage.

"WHERE'S NAN!?" L'Arc barked out. "WHERE THE HELL IS HE-"

"He's in another carriage."

He looks towards the driver's seat, and finds the wolf-boy, Garou, at the reins.

"Big bro said to watch you guys, and told me to pass on a message." Garou stated. "He said **'You can leave if you wish, for you and your friends have every right to do so after everything I've done. But next time we meet, I assure you, you and friends will most likely die. You have until the next daybreak to make your choice'**. Dunno what means, but if you and your folks wanna jump ship, go ahead, I guess?"

"... So he knows what he's done was wrong." L'Arc pointed out. "But why? Why does he keep doing it?"

Garou lets out a scoff.

"That's the question you ask?" Garou pointed out in a slightly-amused tone. "You. Mr. I'm-Going-to-Destroy-This-World-to-Save-Mine, is asking a question about _moral repetition_?"

"... Wha-How did you-"

"I'm a wolf, dumbass." Garou pointed at his ears on top of his head. "I have better hearing then most. I heard it through the door when you first came to big bro."

"So you know that-"

"I thought my initial statement made it obvious." Garou cut L'Arc off. "But as for you and your folk destroying this world, go right ahead."

"... Wait, what?" L'Arc spoke out in confusion.

"Yeah, I'm perfectly okay with this whole damn world going up into flames." Garou admitted. "Hell, there's nothing for me and my sis here except more of the same shit that we've been doing since big bro came along."

"... You mean killing people?" L'Arc asked.

"Big bro taught us early on that in this world, it's kill or be killed." Garou stated. "So tell me, L'Arc, is your world like ours? Because if not, I think I know where I want to live out my days at."

"... Can't say, really." L'Arc replied. "Never really thought of that. All I did was fight the threats against my friends back home. I thought that was enough as a [Hero]."

"Tch. You [Heroes] and your so-called 'duties'..." Garou spat out in disgust. "Honestly, the mere thought of mere mortals with bigger sticks being worshipped like gods just makes me want to vomit. At least big bro doesn't consider himself a [Hero] to begin with..."

"What are you getting at?" L'Arc asked the disgusted wolf-boy.

"What I'm getting at is, is that you [Heroes] don't stop and question your place in the world, not even once." Garou answered. "As long your loved ones are safe, as long your home's roof is still intact, as long as the people sucking your cock keep throwing themselves unto you, you never even asked a simple 'Why?' in the first place!?"

L'Arc was completely stunned by the wolf-boy's words.

"*Sigh* Look, all I'm saying is that in this world, the people we've met are the textbook definition of 'Principle Zealots"." Garou pointed out. "The King of this Kingdom wants the [Shield Hero] dead because its patron Kingdom, Siltvelt kidnapped his sister, whom, I'm pretty sure that he wanted to fuck _himself_ and not us 'filthy animals', the queen herself, despite appearances, I heard that she packs a really mean vindictive streak, the elder princess is pretty much an addict to her own sadism, second and Crown Princess has a good heart, but her head, while technically smart, is constantly at the wrong place and time, [Spear Hero] just wants to fuck every bar whore he finds great tits and ass, [Sword Hero] just wants to be 'swole', at least according big bro, [Bow Hero] thinks he's god among men, [Shield Hero] is needlessly paranoid, although considering that the aforementioned people sans the queen kinda fucked him over, it's somewhat justifiable, his personal sword arm clings onto him just as adamantly as everyone else to their own principles, the fatass we just murdered happened to think that all demihumans are devil's children or whatnot, and hell, even I have to admit big bro is a zealot to his own insanity in his own right, but at least he's _self aware_ of the damages that he causes, and he doesn't kill everyone he meets, just... _mostly_ everyone he meets. But to be fair, they're all unrepentant assholes whom I'm also sure that they also come from a family of assholes and are_ not_ anomalies in their respective family trees."

"... I don't get it." L'Arc stated. "I've never been that much of a thinker."

"I was like that at first." Garou replied. "Everyone is."

The two go silent as Glass and Theresa wake up.

"... L'Arc?" Theresa asked out. "Is something wrong?"

The [Scythe Saint] lets out a sigh as he cradled his face in his left hand.

"... Nuthin' much." He replied. "Just thinking about life."

**Switching POV: Genbu**

It was a fun incursion for this little [Gremlin].

Got to drink fine wine, got to snack on some fresh grub, and even saved a few lives while slaughtering evildoers without restraint.

So the little creature was befuddled when he was greeted with a glum and dejected atmosphere after last night.

**"Oi..."** Genbu spoke out.** "The bloody ell's going on with all of ya?"**

"Nothing unusual, really." Byakko stated. "Just that everyone else is exhausted from the fighting, with a few of us taken a toll and had to be left behind under a tree."

**"... So?"** Genbu replied.** "Why the fuss? We killed a genuinely despicable human being for his sins, and got to save the ones that suffered for it. I'd say enough reason to celebrate, let alone, not be so damn glum!"**

"... Sometimes, I envy your ability to remain positive in such a foul moment." Byakko admitted.

**"That's what happens when you lived like this for over a 1,000 years."** Genbu replied as he uncorked his flask.** "You kinda learn to roll with things when you're below three feet tall and your breath smells like aged pleather."**

"Isn't the latter stem from your excessive drinking?" Byakko jabbed.

**"Hey, don't hate the playa." **Genbu replied before he took a swig.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

"Finished..." I murmured as I put the finishing touches on the wooden mask.

Upon finishing my handiwork, I stash the mask elsewhere, with the intent to keep it a surprise.

"Boss, we're coming up ahead to a village." One of the footwomen informed me. "Your orders?"

"... Are there demihumans working the fields?" I asked.

"... Umm, there are, yes." She replied.

"Are they healthier then the most demihumans compared to the rest of Melromarc?" I asked another.

"Surprisingly, yes." She answered. "All of them seem fed for the most part. ... At least, compared to the kids we found at the basement back there... *shudder*. Forgive me, still slightly traumatized from the _mere implications_..."

"Speaking of which, how are they?" I asked.

"The [Dryad] put them to sleep after feeding them her nectar." She informed. "They're all sound asleep as we speak."

"Alright then, tell everyone else to be on ceasefire." I ordered. "The village ahead is friendly to my standards, so don't do anything that might give us a bad impression."

I then dismiss my [Librarians] and the two [Dragons].

"WHAT THE HELL, NAN!?" I heard Wyndia.

"SORRY!" I yelled back. "WE'RE REACHING A FRIENDLY VILLAGE, AND THE LAST WE NEED IS UNNEEDED PANIC!"

With that said, we move upwards towards the village.

As we break from the foliage, I look out towards the village and see a complete contrast of what I've been through for a good 5-6 months prior.

Tears began falling from my eyes, as I heard Grimm let out a yawn before floating up towards me.

**"... Hm? What's wrong, kid?"**

"... Did you seeing positivity like this after going through mire and sludge of pure rage and hatred makes the coldest of hearts melt like a snowflake on the surface of the sun?" I pointed out.

**"Wow, didn't know you can get this sappy."**

"Shut up and let me have it, bro." I wept out.

... I'm so glad that I got rid of Rabier _beforehand_.

Because if anything remotely negative happens upon this innocent hamlet?

... Then Hell hath no fury of a _man with nothing to lose and everything to gain_.

I nervously wave towards the demihuman inhabitants, but they're response was that of slight worry.

Justifiable. I kinda have an artificial cheek that kinda gives me half of Joker's grin.

... That, and we all kinda reek of blood.

"Anyway, let's just head to that big house over there." I ordered one of the foot soldiers (That resembled Tsubasa; remember, Symphogear). "I need to parley with the guy in there."

She then spreads the word to the rest of the caravan, and then we all beeline towards the big house of the hamlet.

"Welp, we're here." I stated as I got off. "Everyone else, stay back. I'll handle negotiations."

"I doubt that." I heard L'Arc.

"Aw shaddup and let me do my shit."

I ring the bell next to the gates, with the stewardess appearing out of the door and approaching me.

"Umm, can I help you, sir?"

"I'd like a word with the lord of this house, Count Van Reinchnott." I informed. "It's about a few things that I'd found from a neighboring noble's territory, and I need someone who can handle such manners of great... _fragility_, to put it mildly."

"I'll see to it, good sir."

The stewardess then heads back to the manor to inform the lord.

"Alright, here's the rollout." I stated. "Byakko, Genbu, Alpha, Beta, and Chi will accompany me into manor with the rescued kids. Everyone else, keep watch outside to make sure that this village doesn't go straight to hell while I'm not looking."

"What's with the change of tune, Nan?" L'Arc asked. "It's starting to creep me out."

"*sigh* Okay, the truth is, I have standards on whom I should kill." I explained. "It's just that people like Rabier are like, in what, the 99% majority of the residence of this godforsaken rock? I swear, that guy living in there is the 1% that I can stomach."

"Are you speaking from experience, or just out of your ass?" L'Arc replied with suspicion in his voice.

"Actually both." I replied. "I was a bit of a developed misanthrope before I became a [Hero], and getting my ass booted into here against my will not only made it worse, but the people I keep meeting mostly seem to exist to validate my concerns with my place in humanity."

"That itself is really concerning." Glass commented. "So you never wanted to be a [Hero] in the first place?"

"Would believe me that I was in _therapy_ before all this shit happened?" I pointed out. "You do not take away a sick man's medicine unless you want someone like _me_, _right now_."

Glass lets out a sigh.

"... I won't judge you." Glass replied. "Being a [Hero] without consent is rather... _stressful_, even for me."

"Yeah, well unlike me, your world ain't out for your head every five seconds..." I pointed out.

"And who's fault is that?" Glass replied.

"... Me." I answered reluctantly. "Although to be fair, I adapted kinda well into this shitstorm despite everything."

"Personally, I'm just glad that you're not whining about it." Glass pointed out.

"Oh please, I've been whining about it." I retorted. "... It's only just that I don't do it as frequently as one might expect a whiner to do, but that's besides the point."

I spot the stewardess escorting the young lord towards my way.

"... From appearances, I'm assuming that you're the [Tome Fallen] that Melromarc has been talking about?" Van Reinchnott asked me.

"Don't worry, we ain't here to eat ya." I reassured. "I just want to talk to someone not vehemently racist."

The young lord lets out a sigh.

"... Let them in." Van Reinchnott told the stewardess.

The stewardess opens the gate, and me and the assigned party head into the manor.

The kids tag along, as planned.

And the rest of the pack stay on watch duty, as planned.

As we enter Van Reinchnott's residence, I take a moment to soak in the atmosphere.

Whereas Rabier's residence was that of opulence and ill-gotten gains, here, Reinchnott's home feels, noble, dignified, elegant, _tasteful_.

I think it has to do with use of cooler colors like blues and whites that makes this place feel calming, whereas Rabier's home had way too much velvet red and gold that pretty much seared my eyes.

... Velvet cake will never taste the same ever again.

But away with such negative thoughts, time for positive thoughts!

Because after all the shite we all went through last night, we deserve every second of this moment presented.

"So..." Van Reinchnott spoke as we walked down. "... I'd take it that you want me to take care of these children that you've... _rescued_ from Rabier's clutches?"

"... Guilty as charged." I threw my hands up. "Although, the reason for it... it's a bit, _more complicated_ then I initially anticipated."

"How so?" The lord asked.

I then hear stomach growling behind me.

"... Can we feed them first?" I asked the lord. "At this point, I don't my wife's nectar can satisfy them any longer. Also, she's taking five after overtime."

"Very well, we shall continue this conversation at the dining hall." Van Reinchnott stated.

We all head to the widely-spaced dining hall.

The kids take their seats as their meals are presented before them in short notice.

"Careful kids." I warned. "Eat slowly lest one of you chokes-"

An ocelot-boy chokes first.

"Goddamnit." I murmured. "Byakko, please."

The albino butler lifts the kid up and hugs tightly around his ribs, squeezing out the food that he was choking on.

Everyone else follows the ocelot-boy's example and eats at a slower pace.

"Do you wish to eat, Mr. [Tome Fallen]?" Reinchnott asked.

"... I'm craving for something light." I stated. "What you got?"

**One Unplanned Meal Later...**

"And that went down pretty well." I sighed out in satisfaction.

"Glad you enjoyed it, Mr. [Tome Fallen]." Reinchnott stated.

"Please, call me Nan." I sheepishly replied. "Mr. [Tome Fallen] is a mouthful."

"Oh, sorry." Reinchnott apologized.

The two of us sit next to each other to talk proper.

"... So I take that you're partially responsible for last night's uproar?" The lord stated.

"... Was it that loud?" I asked.

"The infernal sounds of roaring and explosions woke up the entire village." Reinchnott pointed out. "Safe to say, it's a miracle that some of us managed to get sleep in the first place."

"Glad to hear..." I looked to the side in annoyance.

My lack of sleep aside, I sip the tea offered.

"... Black tea?" I pointed out.

"Floral blend. Procured it myself." Reinchnott smiled. "Never took a mass-murderer like yourself as connoisseur of tea."

"When you're constantly stressed out as me, you're likely to drink your fair share to familiarize with it." I pointed out. "Nevertheless, we're here to talk about tea, you know."

I signal Byakko to lead the kids elsewhere.

"Now that it's just us..." I spoke out. "... I can now talk at my most earnest."

"Let's hear it then." The lord stated before sipping his tea.

I sit down before letting out a sigh.

"First and foremost, a confession." I stated. "I took in a few demihumans myself, and under normal circumstances, I would take the kids in myself, but... _recent developments_ have caused me to reconsider it."

"How so?" Reinchnott asked.

I slam my head against the table before letting out an anguished yell muffled from the tablecloth.

"... I'm sorry for the poor conduct, but I been holding this in for roughly about a month and a half." I mumbled out. "And I think my recent outing did not do my sanity any favors in the slightest."

"Hmm." Van Reinchnott exclaimed. "For someone who's left behind a trail of bodies in his wake, you seem rather... _pained_."

"Don't get me wrong. I've actually enjoyed tearing those assholes a new one." I remarked. "But in my defense, those assholes deserved every moment of agony that me and my family has inflicted upon them. But last night, I... I kinda started to doubt myself."

"How so, Nan?"

"... I forced those children, the ones that I brought with me, to kill Rabier." I confessed. "And for good measure, allow me to repeat myself; I. Forced. Them. To. Kill."

I hear a teacup shatter on the floor beneath me.

"I mean... sure, I was invoking poetic justice, a slaver being maimed to death by his own slaves, and for a moment, I thought it was a good idea at the time." I stammered. "... But at what cost?"

"... So you feel as if you're having second thoughts on your actions." Van Reinchnott pointed out. "Although to be fair, forcing children to kill will most likely leave a person with a bitter taste in the mouth, unless that said person is the most heartless and depraved person on the face of creation, in which clearly, you're not as coldblooded as one would assume."

"... Funny how I was trying to hype myself to burn this whole damn rock to the ground, but upon realizing that not everyone is complicit to the madness and corruption that I'm fighting against, I'm starting to wonder why I'm even here in the first place." I pointed out.

"How so?" Reinchnott asked.

I snap my finger.

From my right wrist, Grimm wakes up and lets out a yawn.

The young lord falls out of his seat from the spectacle, trying to compose himself from the bizarre sight.

**"... Sup."**

"... As you can tell, my legendary weapon is not the conventional kind." I stated. "Grimm here is kind of the reason why my legs are still attached to my body, let alone why I'm even alive for this long in the first place while going off-grid."

"... Oh, that's nice and all." Van Reinchnott sweated nervously. "Apologizes, but I'm just as startled as the next person who happens to find out that the [Hero] has a monster companion for a weapon."

"Wait, you didn't notice the [Gremlin] hanging on my shoulder?" I pointed out to Genbu drinking from his flask while hanging from my shoulder.

"I tried to be tactful, Nan." He replied. "Thought it might be rude."

"Touche."

**"Oi, don't mind me."** Genbu spoke out.** "You two keep bummin' each other while I get plastered."**

I help him back up and we resume our conversation.

"So the point is, I need you to take care of these kids for me for a bit in my place." I stated. "I need them out of harms way after what I've put them through. In turn, I'll guide the [Shield Hero] and his compatriots here as a sort of a checkpoint while he flees to Siltvelt for protection."

"Wait, a [Hero] needing protection?" Van Reinchnott asked. "From what?"

"You do know that the King Regent here hates the [Shield Hero]'s guts via association, and now, he and his party are on the run as we speak." I pointed out. "Even as I tried to intervene as damage control several times over, the King seems to have a borderline-obsession on having the [Shield Hero]'s head on a pike at all costs, even after I burned down his castle looted that place bare with me as the clear culprit."

"Wait, you did WHAT!?" Van Reinchnott cried out in surprise.

"Don't worry, only the elder princess got away with third-degree burns on her face, but everyone else in the castle was relatively unharmed." I reassured. "But to be fair, I partly did it to make the King and his utter whore first daughter suffer, and I have no regrets whatsoever."

"Ugh... I would say that you've brought this upon yourself, but judging by your tone of speech, I'm assuming that you're perfectly self-aware of the fact, correct?" Van Reinchnott asked.

"Guilty as charged." I replied. "But like I said beforehand, they deserved it, and that goes _double_ for Princess Malty."

Van Reinchnott lets out a deep sigh.

"... Honestly, just talking to you is stressful." He stated. "Is this how you feel whenever you partake in your endeavors?"

"Nope." I replied. "It's how I felt even before I ended up in this shithole continent. Just being around people leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. And the mere fact that I can off them if they so much as cross me or my standards acts as a sort of... _relief_ to my mind and soul."

"... Now I'm starting to understand why you want to leave the kids here with me." Van Reinchnott pointed out. "You want to promote social autonomy and acceptance, not a deranged cult that would perpetuate the cycle of hatred that has plagued the lands for generations."

"I'm a bad person, I admit as such." I stated as I threw my hands up. "I just don't want to be a bad influence."

"Coming from someone who has the Crown Princess in tow?" Van Reinchnott pointed out.

"You saw her, didn't you?" I asked.

"The Crown Princess and I are quite aquatinted with each other." The lord pointed out. "I'd say though, who were those demihuman nobles next to her?"

"Would you believe me that that's her long-lost extended family?" I answered. "Turns out that the King's older sister was alive and well this whole time, and popped out two kids of her own."

"... Oh dear, imagine if the King found out." Van Reinchnott stifled his laughter at the irony presented.

"Oh I have plans to reveal it to his face." I grinned. "Just... not yet. Timing first."

"If it weren't for the fact that you weren't actively harming Princess Melty herself, then I would've not restrained my hand unto you, Nan." Reinchnott stated.

"What can I say?" I replied. "About the remaining 80% of my organic face is punchable. The other 20% is my metal cheek/half-jawline."

"Now that I take a closer look at you..." The young lord peered closer to me. "... Oh my god, you also lost an arm and a thumb?"

"And my right eye to boot, but got that replaced." I pointed to my [Geas], with the eye clicking to indicate its magitek nature.

"You been through a lot then." Van Reinchnott pointed out. "You know, in hindsight, you may not think of yourself as a [Hero], but your heart and scars tell otherwise."

"Pfft. You're joking." I replied. "I ain't got no time for glamour or public support."

"And yet, you chose to save them." Van Reinchnott pointed out. "You could've easily ignored it, but you chose to do what you thought was right."

"Even if I end up looking like a monster in the first place?" I pointed out. "For the record, I only did it because I couldn't stand the sight of Rabier's mere presence. Not out of a sense of righteous fury or justice. I just did it because I hated the guy."

"Personally, I think despite the facade that you put up, you're a decent human being." Van Reinchnott stated. "It's just that you're very... awkward when it comes to expressing yourself."

"Yeah, and the world around me ain't forgiving to us awkward types that you put me in." I replied with a tone of bitterness. "Unlike other the other [Heroes], I can't help but act upon my principals and actively challenge those who I disagree with. I don't conform to anything. I act because my gut says so, but at the same time, I want more out of my hollow parody of a life that's been thrusted upon me."

"We have the power to choose how we live, Nan." Reinchnott replied. "No shame in living true to yourself."

I let out a deep sigh.

"... I'm also perfectly aware of the fact that the other knights of this kingdom will come after you should I hide the kids here, as a possibility." I pointed out. "But to be fair, that's why I'm luring the [Shield Hero] here as insurance. Let them him fight so that the kids go unharmed."

"... If that's the case, then I understand." Van Reinchnott stated.

"For your people's sake, don't you dare die on me." I warned. "If I so much as hear that there's one foot of yours ends up in a pine box, I will bring you back as an [Undead] if I have to, because this world seems to have a really nasty habit of offing good people like you. So in essence, die on me, I'll bring you back to kill you twice over, got it?"

"Cross my heart, Nan."

"Good."

I then walk towards the door, open it, and reveal the kids hiding behind it.

"... Of you kids would be curious about this." I sighed out. "But I need you to listen and listen well."

I crouch down to meet them eye to eye.

"What you did back last night?" I stated. "That's a once and done deal. From now on, you kids live out your lives peacefully, because the road I go down is paved with nothing but corpses and misery. But before you say that you want to follow me, may I remind you all, I'm doing this for all of you, so that I don't see you kids end up like me. It's okay to live lives that not of a fighter. Your fight for survival is over, and I will make sure that it remains that way, even if it means that I have to burn this entire continent down to bedrock. So please, do all of us a favor, live peacefully, for all of you deserve it."

I then notice a grey-haired, tomboyish dog-girl walk up towards me.

"... But what if the bad people come back?" She asked. "What then?"

I sigh as I hand her the wooden mask that I've carved out on my way here.

I infuse a bit of my mana to reveal the mask as a white mask with an orange arch painted over its blue circle lenses, and three nodes of filters at the bottom of the mask.

"... _Take responsibility_." I answered as I handed the mask to the dog-girl. "If one has a right to live, then fight for it if you must. Choose death over enslavement, liberation over suppression, the mad truth over the peaceful lie. Put this on your face, and let it take it from there."

"What do you mean by that?" She asked.

I turn away from her.

"... You'll know." I replied.

I turn my head back towards Van Reinchnott.

"So they will be kept safe in your hands?" I asked.

"Swear it." He answered.

"Alright then."

I pat the dog-girl's head.

"Live." I stated. "You all deserve to."

I then walk away as the [Homunculus] gather towards me.

"Wait, Mr. [Hero]!"

The dog-girl hugs my leg, with tears soaking my pants.

"... *Sniff* Thank you..." She sniffed out.

I smile as I tried to hold in my tears.

"... You're welcome."

I quickly break away from her as tears cascade my cheeks.

"... Master, are you well?" Byakko asked.

I wipe my nose against my sleeve.

"Peachy."

We head outside and meet up with the others.

... And already, something was wrong.

"What the hell happened?" I asked.

"Oh hey big bro." I heard Garou.

Next to him were a pile of cleanly picked human bones, with his lips smeared in blood.

"A few of the male [Shadows] tried to jump the princess, but I got em before they can do anything." He sheepishly confessed.

"How many?" I asked.

"I stopped counting after 15." Garou replied. "Oh, and one of them got away, but Rino nailed his ass cheek with a poisoned arrow."

I groan in frustration.

"... One moment."

I [Summon] Strelitzia.

**"How can I help darling?"** The [Dryad] asked.** "Also, where are the kids?"**

"If we take them with us, they're most likely to get themselves killed, so I found them a place to crash for a good while." I stated. "Don't worry, the humans here are not dicks that deserve to die."

**"Okay then, what you do need me for?"**

I whisper something into her ear.

She gets the memo, and begins planting communicating with the surrounding foliage.

"Oh." I saw L'Arc's group come towards me. "What do you want?"

"... Kiddo." L'Arc the places his hand on my shoulder. "... I'm so sorry that I've even doubted you."

"... Wait, what?" I asked in confusion. "Did one of you three bug me?"

"If by 'bug', then listen into you in conversation in secret..." Glass pointed out. "... Check your clothes."

I frisk myself before finding a dull, greyish-blue gemstone in my left pocket.

"Okay... whodunit?" I asked.

"All three of us, really." Theresa confessed. "I casted [Bejeweled Phantom Sense-Aural] onto an angelite gemstone beforehand, Glass used [Magic Hand] to sneak that stone into you, all the while, L'Arc distracted you at the beginning."

"... Gotta admit, not bad of a ploy you just pulled over me." I grinned. "But still, my offer still stands for the next... 12ish hours, I presume?"

"We're not going to leave you, Nan." L'Arc reaffirmed. "I myself, now believe you have a righteous heart, despite your... _less lucid_ moments."

"If L'Arc stays, then I will too." Theresa stated. "And honestly, I can buy that you're really a bad person, just a person with a bad temper."

"Gee, that makes me feel way better about myself." I dryly replied. "But still, thanks."

"For me personally, I'm only staying to watch you." Glass stated to me. "You were a [Hero], so I'll see to it that you conduct yourself like one. Not only that, you still haven't kept your end of your bargain."

"Threat of death still stands?" I asked.

"Don't make me, Nan." Glass glared at me,_ yandere_-fish-eyed. "I despise liars more then I despise Medea."

"Amen to that." I quickly backed away to Strelitzia. "So you done?"

She nods.

"Alright everyone!" I cried out. "Clean up and let's move!"

Strelitzia eats the bones and all get the hell out of Reinchnott's territory.

"So Nan..." L'Arc asked me. "Now whereto?"

"... Honestly, no goddamn clue other then home base." I stated as I took out my [Portable Dragon's Hourglass]. "But then again, I've been winging it since the beginning."

"It's even a miracle one how you're even still standing." Glass commented.

"No adventure's without its fair share of beatings." I giggled.

"I'm pretty sure there's a line between beatings and masochism." Theresa jabbed.

"Ouch dude."

I peek outside for a moment, and spot a rather thin-looking stone bridge-

... Oh goddamnit.

I let out a frustrated snarl before going off-road.

"Nan! Where're you going!?" L'Arc yelled towards me.

"EVERYONE INTO THE FOLIAGE!" I ordered. "I NEED CHECK THE ROAD AHEAD!"

"WHAT ABOUT YOU, BIG BRO!?" Garou asked.

"PREPARE FOR THE WORST!" I cried back. "WE'RE ENTERING INTO A POSSIBLE HORNET'S NEST UP AHEAD!"

... The term "Hornet Nest" was an understatement.

Why?

If I recall the manga panels of Shield Hero, the rock bridge, the forest, and goddamn mountain in the background?

... Please God, don't let this be_ that_ scene.

I run through the bushes and find myself in a standoff between the [Three Heroes] and Naofumi's party.

... So even without Melty in tow, they still go after Naofumi over me, the actual culprit behind this "kidnapping".

Whatever the King, the [Three Heroes Church], and Malty were planning, they still go after Naofumi despite me being the one to make their ploys go pear-shaped in the first place.

... I swear, just how petty are they to go after Naofumi over the actual culprit!?

But that won't matter now. Why?

Because between Naofumi and the Three Dumbasskateers, was me, completely out of the blue, and emitting a presence of oddity, yet clear danger.

... Suddenly, I realize that I can make this little mess work in my favor.

But first...

"Genbu." I asked the [Gremlin] on my shoulder. "Can I have a smoke?"

He offers me a cigarette and a light, I take one, deep drag into my breath, as my very first smoke in my life burned out to a stub, right before I exhale out a cloud of tobacco-flavored smoke.

"... Good evening, gentlemen." I addressed the four [Heroes] as I killed the light with the sole of my boot. "To what occasion am I rudely interrupting?"

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **HOLY CRAP, 2020 is already off to a shitty start for me.

I went to the hospital to get my tumor and 15cm of my small intestine surgically removed (thankfully, no cancer), I'm not allowed to eat overly spicy food and fresh produce until further notice (surgeon's orders), and over the past two months, I've forcibly lost a grand total of 40 pounds of body weight, and now I have an incision scar running down below my naval to pelvis.

... As one may tell, this was the reason for the lack of traffic for my fanfic.

Thankfully, most of the pains are gone, but I can't afford to watch Archer, Harley Quinn, or any comedy anime of Winter 2020 unless I want to put myself through another episode of pain.

Hey, I said mostly, not all of it.

As for this Epic, holy crap, writing this took the whole week.

Between this and my recent debut, "The Dustbin", combined with the fact that second semester starting next week upon uploading this Epic?

... I might be gone for a while.

* * *

_**Stat Updates (Current Party):**_

* * *

**Name: [Rising Conqueror] [Nan Hon-Jah]**

**Class: [Tome Fallen]**

**Level: 77**

**Affinities: [Ten Primordial Sins]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Mad/Good**

**Equipment: [Forbidden Tome, Grimm the Heretic], [Grimoire Heart], [Lemegeton], [****Sibylline****], [Necromancer's Robes]. [Mire Boots], [Wight's Rune of Spite], [Silver Wolf's Maw], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Visage of Madness], [Mystic Geas: Puppeteer], [Portable Dragon's Hourglass]**

**Battalion: [Scribes/Librarians]**

**Attack: 90 (+195)**

**Defense: 86 (+10)**

**Agility: 87 (+75)**

**Luck: 79 (+85)**

**HP: 680 (+95)**

**MP: 790 (+305)**

* * *

**Name: [Genbu]**

**Class: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Affinites: None**

**Alignment: ?**

**Equipment: [Wayward Nomad's Garbs], [Silver Pocket Watch & Chain], [Silver Shortsword], [Silver Buckler], [Fafnir's Flametongue]**

**Attack: ?**

**Defense: ?**

**Agility: ?**

**Luck: 9,999**

**HP: ?**

**MP: ?**

* * *

**Name: [Byakko]**

**Class: [Hermit]**

**Level: 55**

**Affinites: [Fire], [Lightning], [Light]**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Equipment: [Medic's Scalpels], [Cleric's Cane], [Faithful Suit], [Blessed Silver Bracer Platings], [Field Medic's Utility Belt]**

**Attack: 54 (+20)**

**Defense: 53 (+100)**

**Agility: 61 (+30)**

**Luck: 49 (+50)**

**HP: 490 (+120)**

**MP: 490 (+120)**

* * *

**Name: [Alpha]**

**Class: [Perfected Homunculus Reaver]**

**Level: 50**

**Affinities: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Equipment: [Faithful Suit], [Death Scythe]**

**Attack: 55 (+100)**

**Defense: 40 (+20)**

**Agility: 54 (+20)**

**Luck: 41 (+10)**

**HP: 300 (+100)**

**MP: 100 (+100)**

* * *

**Name: [Beta]**

**Class: [Perfected Homunculus War Mage]**

**Level: 50**

**Affinities: [Fire],**** [Ice],**** [Lightning]**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Equipment: [Faithful Suit], [Thunder Coil Mace]**

**Attack: 48 (+80)**

**Defense: 46 (+10)**

**Agility: 54 (+20)**

**Luck: 43 (+20)**

**HP: 250 (+100)**

**MP: 500 (+150)**

* * *

**Name: [Chi]**

**Class: [Perfected Homunculus Brigadier]**

**Level: 50**

**Affinities: [Light] & [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Faithful Suit],** **[Weißer-Ritter 9mm Custom], [Schwarz-Drache 9mm Custom]**

**Attack: 48 (+120)**

**Defense: 46 (+10)**

**Agility: 54 (+50)**

**Luck: 43 (+100)**

**HP: 250 (+30)**

**MP: 200 (+50)**

* * *

So, what do you audience think of this Epic?

Will the kids be in good hands now that Nan's away from them?

Will our protagonist find his way out of the mess he ran into?

And just what the hell does that mask from Borderlands do!?

Please leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience are thinking!


	24. Epic 24: The Rampage Part Finale

**_Continuing self-insert into Winter 2019's most polarizing anime._**

**_Waiting for Season 2..._**

**_Finger Count: 5/10_**

**_Eye Count: 2/2_**

**_Sanity Meter: 35%_**

**_Death Counter: 1_**

**_Let's try not to die._**

* * *

_**Epic 23: The Rampage Part Finale**_

* * *

**Switching POV: Naofumi**

Okay, so far, today and the past several days for Naofumi and his party were just flat-out weird.

First, Nan comes out from nowhere to bail him out of being assaulted by the [Royal Guards], all the while, taking Melty with him as "hostage".

Then after that, despite Nan openly declaring his intentions towards the King through the [Projection Orb], the damned trash had the gall to increase his bounty as opposed to Nan, meaning that the King himself has it out for him personally, filial relations being damned. As a result, he and this party had to travel around while wearing cloaks over their heads to avoid suspicion.

After that, he then hears rumors of a random nobleman's castle being burnt to the ground, which again, was most likely Nan, but still, the public says [Shield Hero], even if he didn't do jack shit.

So either the King himself was just mental, or Nan was actively sabotaging him for reasons unknown, either possibility seemed likely, although Naofumi himself was sort of biased against the King for having it out on him.

Well, not like any of that matters now, since now of all times, when the three jagoffs, the whore princess and her armed entourage of _armed groupies_ showing up to go after them, Nan shows up out of nowhere, smoking a cigarette, and his gait being reminiscent of a _yakuza_.

"To what occasion am I rudely interrupting?" Nan spoke out while blowing out a plume of smoke.

Naofumi readies his shield, as Raphtalia readies to draw her blade with Filo looking ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

If there's one thing that Naofumi and his party learned from Nan, that whenever he's involved, it usually means that things are about to escalate beyond anyone's control.

Actually, scratch that.

Even the three dumbasses are looking hesitant to even make a move against Nan, despite him being completely outnumbered.

_"Huh, glad they actually have a functioning brain underneath..."_ Naofumi thought as he rolled his eyes. _"... Although the same cannot be said for the bitch in front."_

Naofumi's raw hatred towards Malty was slowly starting to turn into_ pity_.

_"... At least she'll die braver than the most?"_ Naofumi thought. _"... On second thought, I don't Nan has plans to give her the mercy of a quick death."_

Yep. Pity.

Pity the dumb bitch who's soon to be _mauled_ to death by Nan's [Undeads].

"... No one, really?" Nan spoke out. "Not although you're looking fine as usual, princess. Tell me, how's the _well-done_ treatment treating ya?"

"Hmph!" Malty scoffed. "So says the one surrounded by Melromarc's best! The Shield Devil and his party comes quietly, or in chains!"

"... Oh you dumb, dumb, _dumb_ broad." Nan shook his head in disapproval. "After all the time waiting and preparing for us to run into each other once more? Honestly, _choco-malt_..."

Naofumi then sees Nan lighting another cigarette.

He then sees him blowing out a plume of tobacco-flavored smoke from his mouth before his dull-looking eyes glare at Malty.

"... That really_ hurt_."

Yep.

May the dumb broad of a princess that forsook him and his party to utter damnation die slowly and horrifically. For that is honestly the most h_umane_ way that Nan will do with her once he gets his hand around her neck.

"But enough of that." Nan stated. "Before we inevitably try to kill each other and me setting this whole mountain range on fire in the process, let's talk, like _civilized people_."

"Tch. You honestly have the gall to call yourself _civilized_!?" Malty barked out. "You, a filthy bandit that goes out of his way to defend the accursed Shield Devil that tried to kidnap the Crown Princess, and the one who defiled me the process!?"

While Naofumi would point out the whore's lies (again), Nan was blowing out another plume of smoke, indicating that he was going to talk again.

"... Three things that you got wrong, sweetie." Nan stated while pointing out three fingers. "Firstly, who want to even stick their cock in you? You, an overused barn sow who fucked more men then I could count, accusing a total virgin like Fumi-chan over there, of rape? Please, I dunno what turns you on more, the horse cocks that you've been fucking since right after your first period? Honestly, you being a tall, busty redhead may sound appealing, but newsflash, been there, done that, and only the most desperate of males would consider banging with a pre-slaughter bovine pussy of yours, you overrated hack of a woman. I'd fuck your mum if I could, but apparently, her fucking a old goat that you call daddy was bit of a dealbreaker."

... Suddenly, the winds stirring in the mountains just a tad colder.

"Master?" Raphtalia spoke out. "... What is this... disgusting, yet horrifying emotion that I'm feeling in my chest right now?"

"... No clue." Naofumi answered hesitantly.

And of course, Motoyasu snaps out of his funk upon hearing Nan openly insult Malty in the most elaborate way possible.

"DON'T YOU DARE-"

"Shaddup, peanut gallery!"

Suddenly, Nan pulls out a _gun_. He then shoots a magical projectile from the barrel, encasing Motoyasu's whole body from the nose down in a clump of compacted earth.

"Okay, Nan now has a magic gun as a sidearm while we were gone." Naofumi commented. "I'm honestly now bit terrified."

"Now where was I..." Nan mused as he tapped the side of the barrel on his head. "Oh right, second thing you got wrong, compared to not only you, but also the rest of this shithole civilization built upon this fucking rock? I'm comparatively way more civilized then you sorry lot. Sure, I killed people, but I had the decency to make it quick, and I'm not so deluded to think that I'm still some sort of 'hero of the world' even after with all of the blood stained on my hands. Oh no, I chose this on purpose, because I utterly refuse to buy into your crap that the [Waves] are the threat to this world. Oh no no no no no. It's more likely you bastards are more likely to destroy this world _before_ the [Waves] could, which, while I might applaud you for that _Übermensch_ approach, you still intend to play the victims of this little shitshow that you got me into. So instead of being the [Hero] that you all want, I _chose_ to become the villain that you need, because I'm not going to spoil you rotten shitheads at all. Understood?"

"So that it." Naofumi heard Itsuki speak.

"... You know what, I already had my fill with Moto-chan previously, so you know what?" Nan spoke out. "The gaslight's all yours, Tsuki-chan."

The [Bow Hero] then steps up towards the front, confronting Nan.

"So you just admitted that you're evil." Itsuki acknowledged. "Tell me, just how do you think you're going to get away with this? After all the blood you've drowned in? After all the innocents that you've killed? AFTER BEING SUMMONED TO THIS WORLD THAT NEEDS TO BE SAVED FROM CERTAIN DOOM!? JUST HOW IRRESPONSIBLE ARE YOU!?"

Nan simply glares back at the [Bow Hero], before letting out a deep sigh.

"Oh you poor, naive, simpleton." Nan droned out. "Tell me, just why do you think this utter trash heap of a world is worth saving?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Itsuki retorted. "Saving innocent lives is what we [Heroes] do!"

"So says the so-called [Hero] that condemned countless innocents to tyranny and starvation after ousting the only semblance of order left up North." Nan pointed out. "Oh, and P.S., I'm not letting you live down that one. That's gonna stick like tapeworm, buddy."

"What do you mean?" Itsuki growled back.

"That I'm afraid, is spoilers." Nan teased. "You wanna know? Head back up North and see it for yourself, because I'd tell ya buddy, it's a _riot_."

"Like I said, WHAT DO YOU MEAN!?" Itsuki roared out as he drew his bowsting back. "ANSWER, OR YOU'LL FACE MY WRATH!"

Naofumi then sees Nan arch his back all the way back, laughing his ass off, his laughter howling throughout the moonlit skies above.

"Oh Tsuki-chan, naivety incarnate..." Nan giggled out. "... Never change, for your role as my _puppet_ is well-suited for someone inexperienced as you. But don't take it the wrong way, instead, consider that little humble pie... _work experience_."

"DIE!"

Itsuki then lets loose a volley of wind arrows towards Nan.

"[Wind Eater]."

The [Forbidden Tome] then lashes out from Nan's wrist, eating every single wind projectile fired towards him.

"And finally! The third thing you got wrong." Nan continued as he nonchalantly dodged Itsuki's barrage uninterrupted. "Okay, suppose if Naofumi is responsible for all the oh-so heinous crimes charged onto him, disregarding the fact that I'm the one causing way more damage to you fucks. You call Naofumi over there a Devil? Bitch please! The poor bastard can't even hurt a [Jackalope] without his sword-aide, in which case you two, please fuck already, Raphtalia's physically past her teens, I think one baby won't kill her, probably."

"EAT A DICK, NAN!" Raphtalia flipped Nan off.

Naofumi was just confused.

"The point being-"

"[EAGLE SHOT]!"

Itsuki fires a massive arrow of wind resembling an eagle towards Nan, only for Grimm to devour it instantly.

"Ok, that's it, young man."

Nan then points his gun towards Itsuki's direction.

"You need a time-out."

The gun then fires Itsuki's previous skill, [Eagle Shot], which then sends the [Bow Hero] flying off of his feet, colliding against Motoyasu's earthbound prison.

"There we go, now I shall continue on." Nan stated. "So what if Naofumi allegedly raped Malty? No one likes her, so no one give a shit. So what if he owns a slave or two? Hey, not my problem, especially if this kingdom ain't doing anything but lip service to ban slavery, not stop it, so until the institution is wiped clean of hypocrites, no one gonna give a shit. So what if Naofumi has the ability to potentially brainwash people? How about instead of this farce of a witch trial, why don't I, the real villain of this show, give you sods a demo?"

Naofumi then see's Nan's right eye begin to glow_ red_.

"RAPHTALIA! FILO! DON'T LOOK-"

"[Geas: Puppeteer]."

A flash of red light emits out of Nan's right eye, engulfing the whole surrounding area in an unholy light.

The light fades, and nothing changed-"

"Now if I remember how this went back in Episode 1..." Nan mumbled to himself right before he clears his throat and begins to do... something.

"Mimimimimimimimimimiiiiii..." Nan sang out right before he spat out a loogie. "Perfect."

Malty meanwhile, Naofumi noticed her trying to save face afterwards, right before she returns to her haughty self.

"HA! IT SEEMS THAT YOU'VE FAILED!" Malty boasted out triumphantly. "KNIGHTS OF MELROMARC! KILL THE FILTHY BANDIT THEN THE SHIELD HERO!"

... It was oddly quiet, for usually, when Naofumi sees Malty belly out orders, it was usually followed up by the sounds of their clanking boots then their weapons being drawn.

"DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME!?" Malty barked out. "I SAID, KILL HIM!"

Naofumi then notices something was off about the knights. Their already-dead and soulless eyes were even _more_ dead and soulless.

Naofumi then looks at Raphtalia and Filo.

Both of their eyes have gone _pure-white blank_ after the blast of light.

"Sorry princess."

Naofumi looks back at Nan, now his gait being less thuggish swagger and more... _princely suaveness_, overly dramatic pose with his right hand over her red right eye notwithstanding.

"What did you do to them!?" Ren asked Nan.

Nan then strikes a different pose, revealing a left arm under his tattered cloak.

_"Since when did he get another arm!?"_ Naofumi wandered while looking at the chain-wrapped arm with paper around the forearm section.

"You know, discount-Kirito-kun, I would tell, but like I said, I think a proper demonstration is more warranted." Nan stated in a more smooth voice compared to his usual semi-deadpan tone.

His right eye begins to glow red once more, as if Nan has become an amalgamation of every single chunnibyou's off-the-wall fantasies come to life, in the worst way imaginable.

"I, Nan-Hon Jah, the [Tome Fallen] command all you... **_die_**."

Naofumi then hears giggling.

... Coming from _Raphtalia_.

Then Filo.

Then he even then hears the knights _giggling_.

"Wh-WHAT SO FUNNY!?" Malty barked out in desperation. "MY ORDERS WERE CLEAR! KILL HIM-"

"Orders?" The knight in the front spoke out in a deranged tone. "From you?"

The knight bursts out into insane laughter, right before the rest of the knights and even Raphtalia and Filo all burst out laughing, devolving into a cacophony of maddened fits of laughter that threw all semblance of sanity straight out of the window."

**"WE DON'T TAKE ORDERS FROM YOU, PRINCESS!"**

All of the knights and Raphtalia draw their blades in unison, with Filo putting on her [Dwarven Gloves].

"Glad the message got through." Nan stated in a smug tone. "Now what were all your orders? Oh right, **_kill yourselves with your own weapons_**."

**"HAPPILY, YOUR HIGHNESS!" **All of them shouted out in unison.

The knights pierce their throats with their own blades, spraying out blood like a sanguine geysers all over Malty and the rest of the [Three Heroes], painting their faces in deep red.

Naofumi then turns his head Raphtalia about to do the _same_.

"NO!"

He tackles her down, knocking her sword off her grip, and pinning her down.

"RAPHTALIA! SNAP OUT OF IT!" Naofumi begged right before he heard gagging sound.

... Coming from Filo, who was now choking herself with her gloves granting increased strength.

"FILO! NO!" Naofumi roared out.

He then had no choice.

He had to invoke the [Slave Crest].

"FILO! RAPHTALIA! BY MY ORDERS, CALM DOWN!"

... The [Slave Crest] weren't reacting at all.

"Huh, so my [Geas] overwrites [Slave Crest]'s authority." Nan commented as he watched the struggle. "Good to know... Good to know..."

"JUST WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" Naofumi yelled at Nan.

"Experimenting." Nan dispassionately replied as he took notes in his tome's pages. "Just wanted to know what kind of shit my new eye can do, so might as well try it out at the opportunity given. Although, I didn't know that my [Geas] was this potent... Let's try something else."

Nan then opens the pages of his sentient [Forbidden Tome].

"Bud, Lou, Harley."

At the snap of his finger, a massive three-headed dog was [Summoned], letting out a resounding howl to the moon.

Raphtalia's thrashing then slowly begins to cease, then turns into hysterical screaming upon seeing the [Cerberus].

"RAPHTALIA!" Naofumi asked. "IT'S OKAY! I'M HERE! I'M HERE!"

"... Master Naofumi-OH MY GOD, FILO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

... Thought he'd forgot something.

"OH CRAP!"

The two then try to restrain Filo from strangling herself from her own enhanced grip.

"COME ON, FILO! SNAP OUT OF IT!"

"FILO! SNAP OUT OF IT!"

**"NEVER! I MUST END MY LIFE FOR MASTER NAN WILLS IT!"**

**Switching POV: Nan**

"Huh, so resurfacing past trauma is enough to break through a [Geas]..." I noted. "Granted, not a very healthy option, but beggars can't be choosers-"

"NAAAAAN!"

Grimm intercepts the cheap shot from Motoyasu, now freed from his [Sand Coffin].

"YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR! MAKING MY LITTLE ANGEL KILL HERSELF!" Motoyasu roared out in fury. "IN THE NAME OF ALL THE FEMALES IN THE WORLD, I'LL PUNISH YOU-"

"Sorry, more of a Symphogear fan." I replied. "So get that Sailor Moon bullcrap out of my face, ya wanker."

With my left arm, I deliver an electrically-charged punch to his metal codpiece.

Fun fact, metal conducts electricity.

Because boo yah, I just topped _circumcision_. Eat a buffet of dicks, Mr. Over-Compensation.

The main entree is his Swedish Meatballs from IKEA.

But enough of the entree, time for the main course.

Mainly, Malty.

"Bud, Lou, Harley, sic em."

The [Cerberus] then attacks the other two [Heroes], clearing the way for me and Malty to just talk.

"St-STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Malty screeched out as she pulled out her own shiv/[Silver Rapier].

"A knife fight?" I grinned as I approached her. "Count me in!"

I draw out by [Sacrificial Dagger] and dashed towards her ass.

Her thin blade is thrusted towards me, but said blade was dumb enough to get caught between my [Silver Wolf's Maw].

With her sword stuck, I shank the bitch under her rib.

... No response.

As _expected_.

But first, I snap her blade with my metal jaw, pull my dagger out, and shift away from her quickly as possible.

"... Hmph, thought so." I commented as I sheathed my dagger.

I think I see Malty trying to talk, but apparently, she's too much of a wuss to bite through a single stab wound.

"... You okay, honey?" I asked.

I was then replied with a bloody spit to the face as she cauterizes her stab wound with her [Fire] magic.

"Okay, good, now finally we can talk-"

A [Fireball] flies past my face.

"Oi come on-"

Another passes by, cutting me off.

"Now is really not the time-"

She then comes at me screaming with her broken blade.

"Okay, that's it."

I stomp-kick her face back into the dirt, for even my patience has their limits.

"... Look Malty." I stated while crouching down to her bloodied and bruised face. "The truth is Malty, I kinda find you rather... _fascinating_ as a human being. In fact, you're the almost-perfect human being that I've ever laid my eyes on. If it weren't for your short-sightedness that you got from your old man and your vindictive streak from your mother's side, I would've asked you out, no questions, and previous insults aside, I really do want to know you who you really are. So answer me this; just what is your end goal? All this suffering? All these acts of sheer cruelty. All of these acts of reckless abandon, thinking that the whole world revolves around you when you even haven't gotten started on earning it. To what end, what are you trying to accomplish?"

"... A bandit... like you... should be honored... to even lick... my boots..."

"Aw. That hurt."

I lift her up from her neck with my left hand.

"I mean, allow me to go out on a limb and resort to crapshooting your motive. May I?" I asked as nicely as I could, for my civility was starting to become a little strained around her.

Silver lining, I might've set a record for the kind of person who can deal with Malty the longest.

"... I'll take your silence as a 'yes', then." I stated. "For starters, your younger sister is looked upon more favorably than you, but surely, considering the age gap between you two, it couldn't just be from the fact that you weren't born evil. Now, while I would like to state the fact that you've might've been born evil or you're just another product of your environment, need I remind you that I'm a man of logic and reason, so I'd like to investigate properly so that I may reach a concise conclusion. So allow me to present my findings from what information that I've gathered."

I clear my throat before speaking.

"Firstly, it seems that while your mother is a decent enough politician to prevent a flat-out world war between all of the major powers on this continent, it seems that judging from how you've adjusted, your mum seemed to be emotionally negligent at best, causing you to develop a sociopathic mindset as a coping measure to distract yourself from the lack of attention from your adolescence, with the only thing providing you solace was the whole [Four Cardinal Heroes] Church, but even then, you saw an opportunity amidst the brink, didn't you? Combined with the fact that Melromarc is a Matriarchy, and the fact that your daddy dearest was too predisposed from him unable to bang his older sister before the demi-humans could resulted in you growing up rotten without anyone there to teach you how the world really works. Honestly, you make the spoiled brats from Dr. Phil look docile in comparison, for at least they didn't get past second base whereas you made Gilles de Rais look like a total virgin in comparison, which by the way, may I point out that the sick fuck raped _children_ to death, and yet you somehow came out worse, which I don't know if I should be impressed or disturbed. Maybe both, considering that people like you are apparently a dime and a dozen around these parts. So moving on from that, I take it that you still had some semblance of humanity left in you, but once Melty squirted out of your momma's vagina, she gave her all the love that you never got, and right there, right there, was the breaking point. You, born in the wrong place at the wrong time, was unable to develop properly as a human being, which honestly, In consider it a shame, that such a waste of potential happened, not only because of your slightly-shitty parents, but also your gut being stuck in the quagmire of this world, but honestly, that's perfectly understandable, not that I blame you, but you know, it really can't be helped."

"So that's it then."

I look ahead, and see Melty standing right in front of me, alone.

"Umm, princess? I think you should be elsewhere." I pointed out. "As you can tell, we're in a middle of-"

A half-mangled corpse of a knight with his own sword ran through his neck plopped right between us.

"... Negotiations." I finished. "The [Three Heroes Church] are after your head, so I suggest that you be elsewhere lest you have your head delivered back to your daddy dearest, or worse, the crazed zealots from the [Three Heroes Church] will do something violent to you."

"About that..." Melty trailed off. "... They're already being dealt with as we speak."

A severed head of a redhead male comes flying out from the thrushes and rolls to my feet.

"... Wow. Who'd thunk?" I commented. "So how about a little heart-to-heart with your sis before you two go back to hating each other?"

"Is this your definition of heroism, Nan?" Melty asked in a deadpan tone.

"LOOK, I'M TRYING, ALRIGHT!?" I protested. "YOU KNOW WHAT!? COME WITH ME!"

I storm off to where [Cerberus] was at, whom the triplets were faring decently well with the [Three Heroes], with Melty by my side.

By faring well, I mean completely curb-stomp the poor bastards.

"Alright, Arkham Triplets, take five, let the others handle the three schmucks." I ordered the [Cerberus] back to my side as I brought out my [Chimera], [Salamander], and [Lich Swordmaster]. "Also for good measure..."

I place my hand on [Lemegeton] and get the following hand.

**Two of Spades**

**Two of Clover**

**Ten of Diamond**

**Three of Heart**

**Two of Diamond**

"Good enough." I noted. "[Three of a Kind]."

I unleash [Lizard Daemon], [Armadillo Daemon], and [Bee Daemon] from their TCG prisons.

[Lizard Daemon] was a massive [Lizardman]-like monster with dull-blue-cobalt-colored scales, around its right wrist was a jagged katar-like blade under its shoulder, and its long and thick tail was covered in sharp silver armor platings that made its tail resemble a whip-sword.

[Armadillo Daemon] was a massive, robotic-looking armadillo-like creature, its gunmetal-black-colored shell covering its entire back as it should, and its fingers were literal gun barrels, with several ammo belts feeding through the back of its hands.

And finally, the [Bee Daemon] was a red-eyed, chrome-gold colored insectoid with a massive, jet-black stinger erected from its ballista-like left arm, and floating above the other two's [Daemon]'s heads with its translucent wings, buzzing and hovering like an attack chopper ready to fire.

"Alright boys!" I barked out, rallying the [Chimera], [Salamander], [Lich Swordmaster], [Lizard Daemon], [Armadillo Daemon], and [Bee Daemon]. "Sic em."

The [Three Heroes] are now occupied, and now, time for me to cease fire on my [Geas].

Mana's almost out, and the maintenance cost is a bitch.

"Alright, that's enough." I then snap my fingers.

[Geas: Puppeteer] ceases, and Filo lets go of her own neck, now bruised purple.

"Okay, so who knows CPR-"

I was then greeted with two fists to my face, but thanks to my superior stats, I wasn't knocked off of my feet.

Still hurts though. Can't turn that off, as much as I wanted to.

"... Okay, also deserved that one." I pointed out as I honked out a wad of blood from my nostrils. "And to be fair, I wasn't even aiming for your party."

Again, another punch to the face and a kick to the balls courtesy of dear ol' Raphtalia.

"Just shut up." Naofumi snarled out as he pumped Filo's chest, readying CPR. "Just shut up for one second and give a reason why I should even believe in what you say, especially after what you just did to Raphtalia and Filo."

"Because the alternative is certain death." I pointed out. "Remember, it's not just the king himself that wants your entire party dangling in the gallows, but also the goddamn Church and by extension, the entire kingdom of lemmings that are under control of the aforementioned two powers. I went out of my way to provide you and your motley crew a back-alley passageway out of the shitheel country, so to my credit, it's you that owes me. Hell, I even burnt down an entire manor and the noble family in it to draw heat away from you, but evidently, the king still thinks that you're responsible, but I been hearing rumors that he's quickly losing support from the nobles, so better a slow burn then a quick boom boom."

I then hear Filo gagging and hacking out several coughs upon her waking up.

"Evening, sunshine." I greeted the [Filolial]. "Would like to chat, but I advise you and your party get the hell out while I'm holding the ground."

"And why should we trust you?" Raphtalia asked with a scrutinizing tone. "After what you just pulled?"

"Just trust me." I replied vaguely. "Because honestly, I have no idea what I'm even doing is going to even work, but considering that Filo survived her own strangulation which is strong enough snap a normal person's neck like dry pretzel stick, I think you and your party can tough out what's coming. The only thing I'm totally certain about? Siltvelt will welcome you and your company in open arms. Oh, and the Queen herself is by the borders, so I entrust you with her safety? Because the way things are going for me, I don't think her chances of survival are gonna be favorable with all the firefights I might get into. That, and I kinda promised the Queen that Melty would be back with her, and combined with the fact that I rather not retrace my steps after my little... say fireworks show-"

"... I can't believe I'm listening to an absolute lunatic." Naofumi sighed out. "Look, I'll do it, just what's in it for me?"

I toss him the [Crown of Damnation] towards his [Legendary Shield], transforming it into a red and gold horned, spiked kite-shield with runes that resembled a roaring dragon's visage, with a jet-black gemstone at the center.

"... [Tyrant Dragon Shield]?" Naofumi pointed out at the wicked-looking shield, only for it to transform into a silver and purple kite-shield with a spiked ball and chain attachment around the wristguard. "And a [Damned Prisoner Shield]?"

"I suppose that's enough a substantial service fee?" I asked. "That's what I found in the castle I just raided a few days back, and let me tell ya, I had to _earn_ it."

"I'm honestly surprised that I'm doing this for two shields that only make me look like even more like a thug." Naofumi glowered.

"Oh come on, back at the states, people are into the nitty-gritty anti-heroes. I mean, why else would they even make _Batman V.S. Superman_ a thing?" I pointed out.

"Wait, what?" Naofumi commented.

"Nevermind that." I commented. "Although on a side note, Filo might've suffered _minor_ brain damage from oxygen deprivation, so... yeah. Sorry about that."

"DID I HEAR WHAT!?" I heard Motoyasu scream out from a distance, which said distance was growing more scant with each passing second. "YOU'LL ANSWER FOR ALL THE ANGELS OF THE WORLD IN BLOOD NAN!"

I then toss Melty onto the carriage behind Naofumi.

"RUN LIKE THE FUCKING WIND, NAOFUMI!" I pleaded desperately. "RUN BEFORE PEDOBEAR CATCHES FILO!"

And with that, the [Shield Hero] was gone, and Motoyasu still refuses to stop bolting after the dust cloud left behind.

"Oh no you don't." I spoke out. "BYAKKO!"

"On it." The [Homunculus Hermit] states as he runs out of the foliage.

We both run towards Motoyasu from opposing ends, our arms stretched out and ready to commence another badass move.

"DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE CROSS-BOMBER!"

Upon making contact with both of our arms, Moto-chan was sent flying into the air, spinning like a propeller before landing on his head in a screw-like spiral while falling.

"Oh, poor Motoyasu..." I waxed poetically ala Shakespeare. "He died as he lived; _screwing_ himself over, _falling_ for everything with a pair of holes between its legs."

... Oh bugger off, I can also double-duty Mozart.

"Alright, one down, two to go." I muttered while grinning. "Let's finish em off."

I let out a whistle, signaling Alpha, Beta, and Chi to come out hiding and start unleashing hell alongside with the rest of the [Summoned] pack.

Alpha and Beta commence a coordinated strike with [Scythe] and [Mace] in hand, knocking back the [Sword Hero], giving the [Lich Swordmaster] to deliver the final blow.

I then see the [Sacred Sword] get sent flying off of Ren's hands, leaving him weaponless and ripe for a finisher.

"Byakko, if you will."

He kneels down, cups both of his hands as I ran towards him, right before I jumped onto his hands like a springboard, throwing me up into the air, with Grimm lashing out his chains towards the unarmed [Sword Hero], anchoring me towards him as I threw my head back, and body slam-headbutt the poor bastard's nose into the dirt, taking him out.

"THAT'S TWO!" I roared out triumphantly. "NOW FOR THE BOY SCOUT-WANNABE!"

Itsuki was currently being peppered with bolts and bullets from my other two [Daemons] and Chi, who was currently blasting Itsuki's arrows out of the air, whereas my [Salamander] and [Lizard Daemon] were performing a combo attack, with the [Daemon] scraping its tail blade on the ground as it was spinning, with the [Salamander] readying a [Fireball] attack, unleashing a [Combo Skill: Ignition Slash], a flaming slash projectile that cut down the tree that Itsuki himself was hiding behind, leaving him wide open.

And in the great wisdom of Travis Touchdown, another wrestling move as a finisher.

And this time, I ran though the explosions like Nick Fury (pre-Ultimate Marvel), slide right behind the hapless [Bow Hero], grab him from behind, and remembering the sensation that I felt back at the very first [Dungeon] that me and my party conquered...

"German..."

I lift up the 16-year old [Hero]-wannabe.

"SUPLEX CITY, BITCH!"

I torque my whole body behind myself, driving his head into the ground with all of my might.

... And the best part? I don't have any obligations to pay for their collective brain damages! They wanna sue? Then I'll see em at court-oh wait, there is no court, unless one counts the gallows and numerous execution grounds as such.

God, Melromarc needs to put in better investments...

"And with that, we're done." I stated. "But as our dear princess stated, there seem to even more bad people are on our way to make our lives miserable..."

"Meaning?" Byakko asked.

I simply grin.

"Inform the others the following, find somewhere wet." I stated. "It's gonna get a little warm."

"... Understood."

The faithful butler of mine then heads off into the foliage.

"Alright then." I stated as I stretched out my hands. "Chi, longshot, but can your guns shoot flares?"

"I dunno, can yours?" Chi snapped.

"Alright then, we shoot at three." I stated as I loaded my [Grimoire Heart]. "THREE!"

We both fire our guns into the air, with my bullet shooting a [Meteor Blast], while Chi's shots were white-hot flares.

"WAIT, YOU HAD FLARES THIS WHOLE TIME!?" I asked in Chi in surprise.

"Eh, just wanna mess with ya." Chi replied. "And hey, you got what you wanted, so what's the plan?"

The [Three Heroes Zealots] come swarming towards us.

"IT'S THE [TOME FALLEN]!"

"DEATH THE HERETIC!"

"TO THE ETERNAL FLAMES WITH YOU-"

***BANG***

A [Stone Spike] shot through the maniac's head, killing him dead.

"... Buy them time." I stated as I brought out my [Blade Balloons] and [Ifrit]. "Time to farm, folks."

"THERE'S ONLY ONE OF... one of you?"

Yeah. Bravado tends to fall flat when there's a literal fire demon staring down at your soul.

"D-DON'T FALTER!" The alleged leader cried out. "HE'S NO SHIELD DEVIL! HE'S JUST A FILTHY HERETIC!"

"... Oh right and wrong you are, unenlightened one." I stated smugly. "You're right. I'm not Naofumi. I'm not kind underneath the gruff exterior, I don't give two shits what people think of me, and above all else, I have zero intentions of saving people from the [Waves]. Instead, what do you get when you rip a man away from his treatment, away from his family back home, and marooned into this crazy-ass world where all logic and common sense go to die, only to be replaced by blind faith and paranoia of all things outside of your little hole?"

I was mildly surprised to see them take a step back upon hearing my question, but their expressions of blindness still does not cease.

"Who cares of what you heretics say!?" The leader barked out. "You and your friends are die here anyway!"

"... Two things." I replied while giving the v-sign. "First, why do you expect that I'm going to be one who'll bite the dust? Granted, you could, but last I checked..."

*BANG*

*THUD*

"... I got a pair of functioning hands and the goddamn Second Amendment."

I twirl my gun and hoist it back in. Thank you Stephen King for the Dark Tower.

"And second..." I stated. "You honestly think, and I cannot stress this enough, that a friggin' [Shield]-wielder is more of a threat then me? ... Wow, like, I feel a little insulted. It ain't easy blowing you all up to kingdom come, and frankly, you think Naofumi out of all people can do it? I swear to god, even _Goofy_ can hit harder, and let me tell ya, he can't do shit."

... No one was convinced. Then again, I doubt this place has even heard of Kingdom Hearts, let alone Disney.

"... *Sigh* Okay, new analogy." I stated. "So if Naofumi is the Devil himself, then what am I, exactly? And no, 'filthy bandit' or anything close to that has done to death before, so come up with some new material if you can. If not, then shut yer damn trap."

"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO YOU ARE, YOU FILTHY BANDIT-"

*BANG*

*THUD*

"Ok, what did I just say-AW FUCK IT!"

I snap my fingers, bringing out every single [Summon] I can currently accommodate right now.

Aabidah, Gaelion, Yaelia, Strelitzia, Rubicante, Baraka, Ishmael, and every last one of my family who's been with me since day one joins the others to come out and play.

And yep, the zealots before now are officially _fucked_.

"If Naofumi's the Devil, then I am the goddamn _Demon King_." I declared, as my perfectly-crescent smile gleamed before the night sky. "And since there's no point of talking reason with you fucks, then here's a phrase that your feeble mind can somewhat comprehend; KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!"

And so, my own version of the Hundred Demon March from Japanese Mythology begins.

May the mountain remain standing after all this, for I cannot guarantee it's existence, or at least it's standing after my little festival.

May God bless you sick fucks, for I cannot.

So while I casually walk by the scenery of blood, gore, teeth, fang, mind-rape, and screams of pain and suffering, I talk a few potshots to those who were trying to make a run for it.

And here I thought that the [Three Heroes Church] mooks have no sense of self-preservation, but no, I was proven wrong once more.

... Kind of like how Malty tried to stab my leg again, but I kind shot/melted her shiv off of her hands.

I'm kinda getting good at the whole "magical gunslinger' thing.

"But enough of that, sweetcheeks." I told Malty. "Fret not, I shall not leave you to the wolves."

They did say that greatest of despair is birthed from the precipice of hope.

"... Instead, you're coming with me, in chains."

Grimm constricts her whole body, and I lug her behind my back like a backpack.

"... Hmm, I think we can leave the [Three Heroes] be." I stated to myself. "After all, they can't learn if they're dead. But just to be sure that our encounter was meaningful... Rubicante."

The [Ifrit] shows up next to me after it burns another mook to cinders.

**"To what do you require of my services?" **

"You know when I said 'kill every last one of them'?" I pointed out. "Let's skip to that part."

**"Understood."**

The flames around the [Ifrit] begin to intensify in heat.

"Alright then..." I stated. "EVERYONE DUCK AND COVER!"

Everyone that wasn't Rubicante (the three dumbasses dragging behind me included; still need them alive for my future plans after all, I'm not a monster) ran towards the nearest foxhole we can find.

**"I call upon the primal flames the origin, as source of thy power, I command all of the radiance of creation to burn everything to the ground!"**

The night skies suddenly become like_ day_.

**"Incinerate, [Accursed Hellfire]!"**

... If I had to describe the next minute, is that it was like that nuke scene from COD4.

"... Anyone not us alive?" I asked out in the desolate wasteland.

No one but Malty (tied behind my back) answered.

"Good." I stated as I tried to get out. "Hot hot hot hot!"

The dirt itself was like touching a hot iron stove.

"Well on the plus side, the situation is in our favor for once..." I muttered to myself. "Finally, we can go home uninterrupted-"

... I then feel a tremor.

"... Grimm." I spoke out. "Please don't tell me that woke up something the size of a mountain."

I was really afraid to look behind me, because for once in my life in another world, I've fallen into the same trap as the three dumbasses by my feet.

"Master, we've awoken what it seems to be... a giant tortoise monster with a shell made of [Adamantium], the strongest recorded natural mineral in the world."

"SONOFA-"

**[Adamantortise]**

**Will Rock You (Like a Hurricane).**

"... You know what?" I stated. "This is my fault entirely. So as such is being my fault..."

I activate the [Ten Primordial Sins] once again, sacrificing more levels for a temporary power boost.

**"... I'll be back in a few minutes. You guys try and catch up on some sleep."** I stated as I floated out of the hole. **"Oh, and just in case if those three wake up, knock them back out. Gamera over there is _mine_."**

I then fly off, fully knowing that Malty was still tied around my back.

Now one may ask why I brought soon-to-be-dead weight with me to this life-or-death situation?

What better way to establish discipline, then establish the fact that I hold her safety in my hands?

Simply put, she tries to muck me up mid-boss fight, we both turn into tortoise chow.

Worst-case-scenario, I can just hang her over the tortoise's gaping mouth, see if that scares her straight.

... Or "accidentally" drop her and let her get eaten.

Shut up, I need to hear her in pain.

**Switching POV: Byakko**

"Everyone, rest if able." The head butler ordered.

"You think he'll be alright?" Chi pointed out. "I mean for fuck's sake, that thing is literally a mobile mountain!"

"Worst-case-scenario, there should be spare [Effigies] back at the [Archive]." Beta pointed. "And just in case, I brought one with me-"

The clay doll depicting Nan shatters.

"That... cannot be anything good." Suzaku pointed out. "Is Nan alright!?"

Seiryu then sniffs the air.

"He's alive..." Seiryu spoke out. "Albeit a little burnt, but that's pretty much every Tuesday at this point."

The butler stares at the group with a blank-yet-judgmental expression.

"... Well, Alpha helped me out making these, so we made plenty to go around!" Beta nervously reassured.

"And exactly how many is plenty?" Byakko asked with a raised eyebrow.

"... We forgot." Alpha replied. "But last I checked, we were at 34?"

"Oh bloody hell." Byakko sighed out. "I'll see to the others, and if anyone else would like to step in, then let them, for I shall deal with my master's wrath afterwards."

A stream of violet flames light the night skies.

"... So it breathes fire too." Byakko mumbled. "Well, orders are orders."

He then saw the ponytailed [Spear Hero] trying to wake up, but swift stomp to the back of his head and puts him back to rest.

He then hops into another trench, where they find the rest of the party members, drenched head-to-toe in blood and gore, the ex-nobles included.

"Well it seems you're all faring well." Byakko pointed out. "How are you all doing tonight?"

"Can we go at least a whole day without some maniac trying to kill my whole family just because I married a demi-human!?" Malva whimpered out, her face and dress splattered with fresh blood. "And moreover, where's Melty!?"

"I think that's the least of our worries, Lady Hakuko." Byakko replied bluntly. "As for the Crown Princess, she's in good hands with the [Shield Hero] and his party."

Malva sighs in relief from this partial comfort.

"Well, last I've ever had this much of a workout was back during the war." Khronos sighed out. "My son managed to get in a few more kills then me, but that's what happens when he was trained by the best."

"Oh father, I wasn't that impressive." Fohl replied meekly. "Big bro Garou had the biggest body count out of all of us combined."

"Well, my own big bro taught me how to kill, so there's that." Garou shrugged. "But for a sheltered noble kid, you catch on quick."

"Can you two please stop talking about comparing kill counts?" Atlas begged. "Just hearing it after seeing into every one of those hooded people's thoughts are nauseating enough as it is..."

The blind white tiger-demi-human then vomits.

"... We're doing fine." Fubuki replied. "The others are in the other ditch."

"Noted."

The butler dashes across the wasteland and slides into another foxhole.

"And how do you folk are faring in all this?" Byakko asked the [Heroes] from the alternate universe.

"You know, I'm this close to retracting my previous statement about Nan." Glass glowered. "But an attack from religious zealots that worship those three weaklings that they call [Heroes]? Suddenly, everything that the psychopath said is starting to become a bit more valid."

"And I kinda now understand why the wolf-kid told me to start doubting everything I know." L'Arc pointed out. "As much of a sucker for a punch-out as I am, even I'm not crazy enough to take on that _thing_, especially solo."

An explosion was heard, along with the slight scent of_ sulfur_.

"... Evidently, that thing's also part-volcano." Theresa pointed out. "If Nan somehow manages to live by the end of this, someone please _kill me_."

"I would if I had the strength, you bitch..." Wyndia groaned out before passing out.

"Don't worry, she's just tuckered out." Rino sighed out. "I mean, she was the one who killed the first wave of soldiers while Nan was in the manor negotiating."

"Yeah, her penchant for bloodlust is astonishing." Rio stated. "Oh, and my [Chokuto]'s blade is chipped almost halfway in, so... yeah, gonna need a replacement, and fast."

"And for the rest of the infantry?" Byakko asked.

"Only nine of us out of all of us." A blue-haired girl spoke out while wrapping her bleeding arm with a spare tourniquet. "Bastards are getting more vicious by the day..."

"Kinda sucks when we can't catch up..." A girl with the shoulder-length chestnut hair sighed out. "I mean, sure, we're glad to help and all, but we're starting to get way over our heads..."

Another flash of violet light shines in the night sky.

Byakko sighs out as he takes out his [Cleric's Cane].

"Show me all of your injuries. Can't heal them when I can't see em."

**Switching POV: Melty**

Okay, for Melty, the whole day was just weird.

But if there's any consolation, was that Naofumi was significantly more well-adjusted compared to her previous host.

Not only that, Nan has also forgotten to fill her in on the details about the kids he rescued, so it's a good time to ask.

"So why is Nan entrusting us with the Crown Princess's life after what he just did to us?" Raphtalia asked. "I mean, I still can't get a clear read on the friggin' lunatic!"

"Forget it, it's not worth mulling over." Naofumi pointed out. "Doing so is just stressful enough as is."

"Filo's just glad that *cough* that Melty's here!" Filo's damaged voice coughed out.

"Filo, for your sake, just don't strain your voice, okay?" Naofumi requested.

Filo nods in acknowledgement.

"... By the way, how long is it until we get to this so called 'checkpoint'?" Naofumi asked Melty.

"By our current pace and road, I'd say until next afternoon." She answered.

"Dammit, and not a moment of rest..." Naofumi grumbled out as he tightened the grip on the reins. "Can things get even worse-"

*BOOM*

Behind the carriage that Filo was pulling, a fiery _mushroom cloud_ erupted into the night sky.

"... Forget what I said." Naofumi sighed out in resignation. "Melty, just get some sleep _if you can_."

"What if there's anyone tailing us?" Melty asked. "I mean surely, not all of them were killed from that explosion alone-

*RUMBLE*

The tremors quake the earth beneath them, and amidst the tremors, Melty swore she just saw a mountain _move_.

"... Me and my big mouth."

She then curls herself into a ball as she tries to get some sleep.

... If she can that is, from the sounds of more explosions and eruptions akin to an _active volcano_.

**Switching POV: ****Rio**

"... Am I the only one who thinks that this whole shit is just getting weirder by the minute?" Rio spoke out.

"We just fought a bipedal dragon a few days back right after we raided some asshole noble's mansion." Rino spoke out. "As far as I'm concerned, I don't give a fuck."

"Eh, I kinda like it this way." Wyndia shrugged as she cleaned out her [Bulletstorm] double-barrel shotgun. "It's sort of fun killing people that deserve it, and it's also a good time to bond with my mom and dad."

"Yeah... I don't think that's a healthy way to do it." Rio pointed out.

"Now that you mention it..." Theresa spoke out. "Rio, I've heard rumors that the [Sword Hero] was your lover. Is that true?"

"... Yeah." Rio replied solemnly. "At least, I think we still are..."

"If he is, you really need to find someone else." Glass pointed out. "From my first impressions, he fails to impress in all aspects."

"Oh come on, he's not that bad!" Rio protested.

"Enough of that." L'Arc cut in. "Hey, so how did you two meet?"

Upon hearing that question, Rio froze.

"Hey, earth to Rio, you hear us?"

She couldn't hear anything at all.

Her mind begins to flash images of another fantasy-like RPG world.

The [Kobold King, Illfang].

The [Taurus Triplets, Nato, Baran, and Asterios].

The [Corrupted Treant, Nerius].

The [Infernal Vanguard, Gleam Eyes].

The [Skull Reaper, Hyakkushi (Hundred Deaths)].

Besides her was a black-haired youth who's admired a certain player of the game that they were trapped in.

From the first floor to their last, he'd tried to emulate him, from his clothing to his fighting style.

All the while, Rio just went along, for in their prison of certain death, hope was what he needed.

And in hindsight, she once tried to emulate a certain female player in the game as well, once opting out her exceeding-rare [Muramasa+] from a secret boss that she had to slay alone in [Floor 47] for a cheaply-bought [Platinum Rapier].

... She went back to her [Muramasa+] after the rapier broke, and that she once tried to apply for the [Knights of Blood Oath], only to get rejected by her idol, of all people.

So while she herself was slightly disillusioned by her so-called hero after seeing her true nature, the youth still admired his hero, even after his true face was revealed during the livestream by the [Aincrad Liberation Front], thinking that it was "cool".

... In hindsight, she really should tried to get him out of his hero-worship, but by the time she considered it, they were at the opposite sides of [Floor 75], with their spines and nerves held hostage.

After she and the youth got booted out of the game and went back to their homes, she threw out every single "Back to the Future" Blu-Ray she had.

It was only around several months later that she would meet the youth in person, being picked on by some pricks in the hall.

Before they can isolate him, Rio jump-kicked one of them down before taking the boy towards elsewhere.

_"... Excuse me. Just who are you?"_

_"Wait, after that life and death situation a few months back, you've already forgotten about me?"_

_"... __Wait a minute, you're Murasame!?"_

_"Name's Rio! Rio Murasame! So what's yours?"_

_"... I'm Ren. Ren Amaki."_

_"So where you've been all this time? I've been looking for you for the past several months!"_

_"... At home, still playing with my old NerveGear. Just got into Brave Star Online: Beta Testing. I know, it's kinda creepy, ever since I just got out of SAO..."_

_"... *sigh* To each their own, I guess. Not for one second, and suddenly, you're already doing something else on your own, just like back at SAO."_

_"I dunno, I just don't want others to get hurt because of me."_

_"... Tell you what. I become your friend, so that you don't get hurt because of me. But in return, you got to promise me that you stop blaming yourself for everything, got it?"_

She then remembers the punch that she threw against the punk that tried to blindside Ren on the rooftop.

"... Let her go, you two." Rio heard Theresa sighing out. "It's clearly personal, seeing that he's on their side, by the looks of things."

"... Just why?" Rio asked. "Why Ren?"

Her eyes begins to tear up.

The last time she saw Ren was when he stood between her and one of the holders of the [Death Gun] moniker.

... Her chest begins to throb in pain in remembering _how_ she ended up in this crazy world.

"You idiot..." Rio whimpered out. "... You big, colossal, idiot."

Suddenly, the ground quakes once again, followed up by a low droning cry.

"Hey look!" The white-haired infantry cried out as she looked out into the burning wastes. "I think bossman did it!"

Rio, along with everyone else, climbs out of their foxholes to see Nan emerge victorious.

... Minus one leg, with his hostage acting as his crutch.

**"Sup my niggas." **Nan spoke out. **"Guess who joined our family?"**

... The insane motherfucker actually _did_ it.

He actually soloed a monster size of a _mountain_.

**"Everyone, I'd like you to meet... KAIDO!"**

The [Adamantortoise] roars out in response.

"Holy shitsnacks..." Rio gasped out. "What the hell happened to you!?"

Nan simply smiles.

**"I've been crushed, impaled, burnt to death, suffocated, crushed, emasculated, got my leg chewed off, crushed, and got repeatedly killed off several times, during the same _hour_."** Nan summarized his collective injuries from the fight with the [Admantortoise] while pressing her gun behind the redhead's head. **"On the plus side, I'm not the only one who's changed drastically; check this out."**

Behind Nan, several unfamiliar figures emerged from the smoke.

The first was a creature similar to an [Ifrit], but it was more slender, covered in more demonic-looking black armor with blood-red runes, and its orangish-red flames were now a malevolent blue.

The next was a literal five-headed dragon-like creature, each head having a pair of goat-like horns on top of their serpentine visage, and filled around their collective necks were rows of dark-brown pufts of leomane fur.

Another looked like an upgraded version of Nan's more prevalent enforcers, Ishmael, still keeping the whole geometric design of white and gold, but now its wings were wider and there were three pairs of them behind its back, its white chassis was trimmed with more gold, its entire head now replaced with a torch burning an eternal blue flame, it's now bearing four sets of arms, each carrying a golden broadsword with lines of sky-blue energy by both of its edges, a golden tome with sky-blue hardlight pages, a golden Desert Eagle-like pistol with angelic wings carved into its sides, and a golden staff that resembled a Khakkhara, but its rings were adorned with small church bells.

The next was the recent three-headed hound monster, but now bigger, its fur was now black with lines of burning red running across it, its collective three heads were now literal dog-skulls set on fire, and its tail was now a cobra.

And finally, imposed behind a full moon was clearly Gaelion, but now its reptilian features were now mostly replaced with whale-like attributes, its chin was now bearing a magnificent, snow-white beard that glimmered against the moonlight, it now has an additional set of dragon-like wings, its pair of horns were now replaced by a narwhal-like monohorn, giving it a celestial, and almost... sacred presence, as if she wants to bow before its majesty.

**"Say hello to Rubicante, from [Ifrit] to an [Iblis]! Next is Iliad, from [Chimera] to a [Hydra]! Then Ishmael, from [Dominion] to [Seraphim]! Our new rising star, the Arkham Triplets, from a [Cerberus] to [Cerberus Hades]! And finally, our most-hyped [Evolution] ever since its introduction, GAELION! FROM A MERE [DRAGON EMPEROR], TO THE EVER BADASS [BAHAMUT EMPEROR]!"**

Nan then fires a shot from his magic gun, shooting literal _fireworks_, with roars of Nan's [Evolved] [Summons] let out their victorious roars.

"... Think you might have a problem." Rio pointed out.

**"Yeah Rio, it's called being in the** _Danger Zone_-"

*THUD*

All of them look down at Nan, his cheek laid against the waste, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head, but his [Summons] still active outside.

"Is he all right?" L'Arc asked. "Kid took a hell of a beating... I'm actually impressed."

"Well, on the plus side, we have a [Bahamut Emperor], a [Cerberus Hades], a [Hydra], an [Iblis], a [Pazuzu], a [Seraphim] and an [Adamantortoise] on our side, so I don't think anyone's going to cross us for a good while." Chi pointed out. "By the way, who are we missing?"

... Now that he mentioned it, Nan's shoulder was more bare then usual-

All of them hear the sound of screaming coming from above as it got closer to them.

*THUD*

"... Found him." Rio pointed towards the half-buried [Gremlin], right before plucking it out of the earth. "Come on, let's all go home."

"Wait!" Garou spoke out. "What do we do about those three dumbasses?"

The [Three Heroes], including Ren, were still in the foxhole that Nan threw them into.

Rio looks at the [Sword Hero], trying to find any semblance of the old Ren she once knew.

... Ren died on that day. Before her was just another puppet named the [Sword Hero].

"Ditch em." Rio stated. "We don't need them, but Nan would keep them alive for his own ends."

**"I got a better idea."**

Everyone looks at Genbu, still piss-drunk, and still dangling from Rio's grip.

**"Anyone know how to dig?"**

**Switching POV: Malty**

Hot. Cold. Hot. Cold.

Hot...

*SPLASH*

"... COLD!"

The eldest princess finds herself walking up tied to a tree, and completely drenched in ice-cold water.

"Morning, princess."

Malty looks up, and finds a grinning wolf demi-human standing right in front of her, with bucket in hand.

"Sleep well?" The wolf-boy jeered out at her. "If not, I can knock you out right here and pretend nothing happened."

"UNTIE ME, YOU FLEABAG!" She screeched out.

"The latter?" The wolf-boy stated with a sincere-looking smile. "Comin' right up!"

"Wait-"

*THWACK*

She felt a heavy blow strike across her jawline, with few of her molars ripped out of her gums during the impact, right before her consciousness faded away.

_"... Why is this happening to me..."_

And just for extra humiliation, she glimpsed at her fading vision to see that the fleabag put the bucket that he sprayed water with over her head.

**Switching POV: Ren**

_"... So new kid, how are you holding up after [Floor 1]?"_

_"... I've could've gone without getting myself nearly killed."_

_"Yep, I knew buying the NerveGear on launch was a bad idea. Of well, at least I'll have plenty of time to regret it when I get back out."_

_"... You know that we have 99 Floors left, right?"_

_"Hey, better than 100. Come on, the exit's that way."_

The light then burns into his eyes as he and the mysterious stranger entered [Floor 2].

... Ren opens his upon the sunlight glaring at his eyes, waking him up only find-

"Argh... my everything hurts..."

... A completely _desolated_ wasteland, every single living thing burnt to pitch-black cinders.

"I'm in Hell, am I?" Ren spoke to himself.

He then looks around, only to find Motoyasu and Itsuki buried all the way up to their _necks_.

He then looks down, only to find out that he himself was also buried up to neck.

"... Yep, I'm officially in Hell." Ren sighed out. "Does Hell have any booze-"

His head bumps into something, revealing it to be the flat of his sword.

"... Well, at least I can get back-wait a minute."

Something was hanging from the handle of his blade.

Ren made out a wooden board hanging by rope.

"Oh God, what does it say!?"

But unknown to him, he wasn't the only one who's received this kind of treatment, much to their eventual horror.

**["I'm an edgy little cock-bitch that tried to be cool and all I got was this stupid sign." - Ren]**

**["I think I'm hot shit, but I'm actually a literal piece of shit." - Itsuki]**

**["I'm better off not wearing any pants." - Motoyasu]**

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **And with that, the Rampage Arc as come to an end.

A lot of deaths, a lot blood was spilled, and above all else, a lot of catharsis was released in this arc.

What can I say, it was a blast.

Now for a few things IRL:

One, I'm now attending my second semester, and things are treating me well so far.

Two, my health is relatively back to normal, and I can now eat normal food, with the hard exception of raw protein, but I can manage.

And three, I said it once, and I'll say it again; FUCK 2020.

Funimation blacklisted Interspecies Reviewers, Trump got off scot-free during his impeachment trial, the Democrats are not doing so hot (Trump gets four more years, my whole family gets deported back to South Korea), and as far as I'm concerned, I can't even vote to make a difference, due to my whole family being stuck in this whole pre-green card Limbo.

I swear to god, I feel like I'm wading through an entire sea of shit, but maybe that's why I write in the first place.

That, and John Oliver Season 7 and Archer Season 11 cannot come out soon enough.

Also, note, next chapter is going to be a character sheet-intermission.

When it's gonna come out, let me get to my other fics first and I'll deal with it when the time comes.

Also, new [Affixes]:

**[Accursed]: **Attacks now have 50% chance to drain 10% of target's Mana per hit.

Also, bonus points to whoever can catch all of the references I made to the show, Archer.

* * *

_**Stat Updates (Current Party):**_

* * *

**Name: [Rising Conqueror] [Nan Hon-Jah]**

**Class: [Tome Fallen]**

**Level: 70**

**Affinities: [Ten Primordial Sins]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Mad/Good**

**Equipment: [Forbidden Tome, Grimm the Heretic], [Grimoire Heart], [Lemegeton], [****Sibylline****], [Necromancer's Robes]. [Mire Boots], [Wight's Rune of Spite], [Silver Wolf's Maw], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Visage of Madness], [Mystic Geas: Puppeteer], [Portable Dragon's Hourglass], [Patron Goddess of Cutting Edge Bitches: Malty (Hostage)]  
**

**Battalion: [Scribes/Librarians]**

**Attack: 84 (+195)**

**Defense: 80 (+10)**

**Agility: 78 (+5)**

**Luck: 71 (+85)**

**HP: 610 (+95)**

**MP: 700 (+305)**

* * *

**Name: [Genbu]**

**Class: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Affinites: None**

**Alignment: ?**

**Equipment: [Wayward Nomad's Garbs], [Silver Pocket Watch & Chain], [Silver Shortsword], [Silver Buckler], [Fafnir's Flametongue]**

**Attack: ?**

**Defense: ?**

**Agility: ?**

**Luck: 9,999**

**HP: ?**

**MP: ?**

* * *

**Name: [Byakko]**

**Class: [Hermit]**

**Level: 58**

**Affinites: [Fire], [Lightning], [Light]**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Equipment: [Medic's Scalpels], [Cleric's Cane], [Faithful Suit], [Blessed Silver Bracer Platings], [Field Medic's Utility Belt]**

**Attack: 57 (+20)**

**Defense: 55 (+100)**

**Agility: 64 (+30)**

**Luck: 52 (+50)**

**HP: 520 (+120)**

**MP: 520 (+120)**

* * *

**Name: [Alpha]**

**Class: [Perfected Homunculus Reaver]**

**Level: 54**

**Affinities: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Equipment: [Faithful Suit], [Death Scythe]**

**Attack: 62 (+100)**

**Defense: 47 (+20)**

**Agility: 59 (+20)**

**Luck: 43 (+10)**

**HP: 360 (+100)**

**MP: 120 (+100)**

* * *

**Name: [Beta]**

**Class: [Perfected Homunculus War Mage]**

**Level: 54**

**Affinities: [Fire],**** [Ice],**** [Lightning]**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Equipment: [Faithful Suit], [Thunder Coil Mace]**

**Attack: 54 (+80)**

**Defense: 50 (+10)**

**Agility: 57 (+20)**

**Luck: 49 (+20)**

**HP: 280 (+100)**

**MP: 550 (+150)**

* * *

**Name: [Chi]**

**Class: [Perfected Homunculus Brigadier]**

**Level: 56**

**Affinities: [Light] & [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Faithful Suit],** **[Weißer-Ritter 9mm Custom], [Schwarz-Drache 9mm Custom]**

**Attack: 54 (+120)**

**Defense: 51 (+10)**

**Agility: 63 (+50)**

**Luck: 49 (+100)**

**HP: 270 (+30)**

**MP: 240 (+50)**

* * *

So what do you guys think of this Epic?

Will the [Shield Hero] and company make it to Van Reinchott's safe zone?

Will the [Three Heroes] be able to make heads or tails of what just happened?

Will Malty be able to escape the Hell she found herself in?

And where will our Wayward Hero and his party strike next?

Find out in our next (actual) Epic!

Also, please leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience are thinking!


	25. Epic 25(?): The Cast

**Hello loyal readers of my Chronicles of the Wayward Tome Hero! This is LoneTaker here coming at you all with something special!**

**After a long and thoughtful consideration (and one comment suggesting it), I decided to do an intermission chapter/Epic! **

**Reasons why being that:**

**A) Loads and loads of characters can be a bit hard to track, so I'm doing this for general convenience for both readers and myself. **

**B) Thought it might be a good way to organize my story from now on, not only to prevent drag, but also to incorporate a bit of a tradition that every 25th Epic uploaded, I do an intermission.**

**And C) Even I need a break from my own insanity, so why not.**

**So with that said, here's an intermission as I work on my other fics for the time being.**

* * *

**Intermission...**

**Epic 25(?): The Cast**

* * *

**Hierarchy of Party: Ever since Naofumi made Nan and his party comparisons to the _Yakuza_, I thought that it'll be fitting that Nan's party operates like that of a Yakuza Clan (or at least a rough estimate; I dunno, I ain't no Michael Franzese, that's for sure, and I only just recently watched YouTube videos about him).**

**Addendum 1: Regardless of position, all members are capable of holding their own in combative situations, and can and will coordinate accordingly with terrifying efficiency. **

**Addendum 2: Regardless of there being a hierarchy, all positions are enforced through respect and filial loyalty. Romanticized? Yes. But than again, an ideal is only an ideal if it doesn't come true.**

**Addendum 3: If I felt like it, I might commission mating suits and tattoos for everyone in the party for kicks. I dunno, I'm a huge fan of the Yakuza/Like A Dragon franchise, so it's a maybe.**

**Addendum 4: [Slave-] label is only a nominal label. They are not treated like garbage, but as everyone else in the party; i.e., like people. Just a title, not their ****identity.**

**Leader: Self-explanatory; leads the entire party from the front, oversees all of the party's operations, establishes all of the party's rules, all ****decisions are finalized upon this role's say in the matter.**

**Underboss: The number two of the party; acts as general advisor, logistical overseer, bookkeeper, rule-lawyer, and main enforcer of leader's will. **

**Enforcer: The main muscle of the whole party; lead combatants in the party, are often Lieutenants under the underboss, and usually assigned to brute-force their way through a problem if the situation calls for it. **

**Hitman: The troubleshooters; specialized combatants assigned to take out certain targets whether through discreet manners, or flush out any moles within the party.**

**Informant: The brains and intel-gatherers; acts as the main source of the leader's information-gathering regarding certain people, places, events, etc., and handles strategizing to negotiations.**

**Affiliate: Members without any specified roles; acts as extra numerical forces in greater-scale operations.**

**Guests: Temporary members in the party; their loyalty is uncertain, and are only let in because of the leader's orders.**

* * *

**Main Party:**

* * *

**Name: Nan Hon-Jah**

**Class: [Tome Fallen]**

**Level: 70**

**Affinity: [All Eight Elements] & [Ten Primordial Sins]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Mad**

**Equipment: ****[Forbidden Tome, Grimm the Heretic], [Grimoire Heart], [Lemegeton], [****Sibylline****], [Necromancer's Robes], [Mire Boots], [Wight's Rune of Spite], [Silver Wolf's Maw], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Visage of Madness], [Mystic Geas: Puppeteer], [Portable Dragon's Hourglass], [Patron Goddess of Cutting Edge Bitches: Malty (Hostage)]**

**Attack: 84 (+195)**

**Defense: 80 (+10)**

**Agility: 78 (+5)**

**Luck: 71 (+85)**

**HP: 610 (+95)**

**MP: 700 (+305)**

**Position: Leader**

* * *

**Name: Garou**

**Class: [Slave Brawler]**

**Level: 76**

**Affinity: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Assassin's Leather Armor], [Nightshroud], [Blade Gauntlets], [Primal Claws], [Katars]**

**Attack: 96 (+50)**

**Defense: 61 (-20)**

**Agility: 99 (+65)**

**Luck: 50 (+20)**

**HP: 800 (+20)**

**MP: 300 (-100)**

**Position: Enforcer**

* * *

**Name: Fubuki**

**Class: [Slave Monk]**

**Level: 77**

**Affinity: [Ice]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Twilight Gunstaff], [Darkbane Gauntlets], [Twilight Cloak], [Twilight Hunter's Hood], [Mana Medallion]**

**Attack: 89 (+45)**

**Defense: 56 (+30)**

**Agility: 91 (+25)**

**Luck: 87 (+20)**

**HP: 570 (-50)**

**MP: 930 (+100)**

**Position: Enforcer**

* * *

**Name: Byakko**

**Class: [Hermit]**

**Level: 58**

**Affinity: [Fire], [Lightning], & [Light]**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Equipment: [Medic's Scalpels], [Cleric's Cane], [Faithful Suit], [Blessed Silver Bracer Platings], [Field Medic's Utility Belt]**

**Attack: 57 (+20)**

**Defense: 55 (+100)**

**Agility: 64 (+30)**

**Luck: 52 (+50)**

**HP: 520 (+120)**

**MP: 520 (+120)**

**Position: Underboss**

* * *

**Name: Genbu**

**Class: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Affinity: None**

**Alignment: ?**

**Equipment: [Wayward Nomad's Garbs], [Silver Pocket Watch & Chain], [Silver Shortsword], [Silver Buckler], [Fafnir's Flametongue]**

**Attack: ?**

**Defense: ?**

**Agility: ?**

**Luck: 9,999**

**HP: ?**

**MP: ?**

**Position: Affilate**

* * *

**Name: Seiryu**

**Class: [Blue Tyrera Queen Spell Fencer]**

**Level: 70**

**Affinity: [Water]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: ****[Rune Slayer], [Barbarian Armor], [Barbarian Helm], [Berserk Rune], [Berserker's Mantle], [Chimera Teeth Necklace]**

**Attack: 87 (+125)**

**Defense: 86 (+55)**

**Agility: 45 (+20)**

**Luck: 38 (-10)**

**HP: 650 (+250)**

**MP: 200 (+65)**

**Position: Enforcer**

* * *

**Name: Suzaku**

**Class: [Red Filolial King Adventurer]**

**Level: 71**

**Affinity: [Fire]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: ****[Heat Nail], [Vermilion Robes], [Rouge's Cowl], [Mark of the Apex Predator], [Celestial Rune of Protection], [Mark of the Shadow Dancer], [Mark of the Apostle]**

**Attack: 76 (+120)**

**Defense: 29 (+15)**

**Agility: 120 (+70)**

**Luck: 80 +70)**

**HP: 150 (+40)**

**MP: 150 (+40)**

**Position: Hitman**

* * *

**Name: Rino**

**Class: [Slave Assassin]**

**Level: 63**

**Affinity: [Earth]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Brave Compound Bow], [Spark Dagger], [Steel Throwing Knives x20], [Assassin's Cloak], [Shadow Mufflers], [Silent Step Sandals]**

**Attack: 63 (+80)**

**Defense: 38 (+10)**

**Agility: 81 (+120)**

**Luck: 84 (+90)**

**HP: 340 (+40)**

**MP: 280 (+40)**

**Position: Hitman**

* * *

**Name: Rio**

**Class: [Slave Swordmaster]**

**Level: 62**

**Affinity: [Water]**

**Alignment: True Neutral**

**Equipment: ****[****Chokutō****], [Salamander Scale Mail], [Wanderer's Cloak], [Crimson Armwraps], [Visage of Silence]**

**Attack: 76 ****(+120)**

**Defense: 60 (+70)**

**Agility: 78 (+70)**

**Luck: 33 (+95)**

**HP: 550 (+50)**

**MP: 250 (+20)**

**Position: Informant**

* * *

**Name: Wyndia**

**Class: [Predator]**

**Level: 75**

**Affinity: [Fire] & [Wind]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Evil**

**Equipment: ****[Dragoon Pike****], [Bulletstorm], [Espar Robes], [Visage of Scorn], [Fog Gloves], [Demonic Rune of Bloodlust]**

**Attack: 79 (+150)**

**Defense: 47 (-20)**

**Agility: 84 (+100)**

**Luck: 25 (-25)**

**HP: 400 (-50)**

**MP: 250 (+100)**

**Position: Enforcer**

* * *

**Name: Khronos Gaia Hakuko**

**Class: [Vanguard]**

**Level: 75**

**Affinity: [Light]**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Equipment: [Rune Gauntlets], [Brave Chainmail], [Rune Eyeglasses]**

**Attack: 77 (+30)**

**Defense: 78 (+15)**

**Agility: 70 (+15)**

**Luck: 55**

**HP: 620 (+100)**

**MP: 160 (+100)**

**Position: Informant**

* * *

**Name: Malva Gaia ****Hakuko (nee Melromarc)**

**Class: [Elementalist]**

**Level: 50**

**Affinity: [Fire], [Water], [Wind], & [Earth]**

**Alignment: Lawful Good**

**Equipment: [Silver Wand]. [Rune Fan], [Satin Garbs]**

**Attack: 50 (-20)**

**Defense: 40**

**Agility: 39**

**Luck: 61 (+50)**

**HP: 350 (+50)**

**MP: 500 (+100)**

**Position: Informant**

* * *

**Name: Fohl Hakuko**

**Class: [Cleric]**

**Level: 40**

**Affinity: None**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Silver Gauntlets], [Steel Bracer Platings]**

**Attack: 53 (+20)**

**Defense: 45 (+20)**

**Agility: 46 (-10)**

**Luck: 20**

**HP: 450 (+50)**

**MP: 100**

**Position: Enforcer**

* * *

**Name: Atlas Hakuko**

**Class: [Cleric]**

**Level: 1**

**Affinity: [Light]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Mark of Divine Protection, Tzaphkiel], [Divine Rune of Judgement, Gabriel], [Mark of Cursed Bane, Belphegor]**

**Attack: 2 (+150)**

**Defense: 2 (+150)**

**Agility: 4 (+40)**

**Luck: 0 (-50)**

**HP: 20 (+1,000)**

**MP: 100 (+1,000)**

**Position: Informant**

* * *

**Name: Alpha**

**Class: [Perfected Homunculus Reaver]**

**Level: 54**

**Affinities: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Equipment: [Faithful Suit], [Death Scythe]**

**Attack: 62 (+100)**

**Defense: 47 (+20)**

**Agility: 59 (+20)**

**Luck: 43 (+10)**

**HP: 360 (+100)**

**MP: 120 (+100)**

**Position: Enforcer**

* * *

**Name: Beta**

**Class: [Perfected Homunculus War Mage]**

**Affinities: [Fire],**** [Ice], &**** [Lightning]**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Equipment: [Faithful Suit], [Thunder Coil Mace]**

**Attack: 54 (+80)**

**Defense: 50 (+10)**

**Agility: 57 (+20)**

**Luck: 49 (+20)**

**HP: 280 (+100)**

**MP: 550 (+150)**

**Position: Informant**

* * *

**Name: Chi**

**Class: [Perfected Homunculus Brigadier] **

**Level: 56**

**Affinities: [Light] & [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Faithful Suit],** **[Weißer-Ritter 9mm Custom], [Schwarz-Drache 9mm Custom]**

**Attack: 54 (+120)**

**Defense: 51 (+10)**

**Agility: 63 (+50)**

**Luck: 49 (+100)**

**HP: 270 (+30)**

**MP: 240 (+50)**

**Position: Hitman**

* * *

**Name: L'Arc Berg**

**Class: [Scythe Saint]**

**Level: 66**

**Affinity: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Sacred Scythe], [Reaver's Braced Platings], [Obsidian Handwraps], [Mark of the Black Panther]**

**Attack: 75 (+150)**

**Defense: 60 (+75)**

**Agility: 70 (+50)**

**Luck: 60 **

**HP: 730 (+150)**

**MP: 430 (+150)**

**Position: Guest**

* * *

**Name: Theresa Alexandrite**

**Class: [Magus]**

**Level: 65**

**Affinity: [Fire], [Water], [Wind], & [Earth]**

**Alignment: Neutral Good**

**Equipment: [Holy Aquamarine Cane of the Sea Sage], [War Cleric's Leather Armor], [Sacred Gemstones of Holy Healing], [Sacred Gemstones of Divine Smiting]**

**Attack: 70 (+100)**

**Defense: 55 (+35)**

**Agility: 58 (+25)**

**Luck: 73 (+100)**

**HP: 430 (+50)**

**MP: 800 (+400)**

**Position: Guest**

* * *

**Name: Glass**

**Class: [Phantom Fan Saint]**

**Level: 91**

**Affinity: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Sacred Fans], [Kimono of Mourning]**

**Attack: 105 (+50)**

**Defense: 84 (+50)**

**Agility: 123 (+50)**

**Luck: 51 (+50)**

**HP: 790 (+200)**

**MP: 830 (+200)**

**Position: Guest**

* * *

**Summons (Significant Individuals):**

* * *

**Name: Cue**

**Class: [Blade Balloon]**

**Level: 50**

**Affinity: [Dark]**

**Alignment: True Neutral**

**Attack: 90**

**Defense: 0**

**Agility: 50**

**Luck: 0**

**HP: 100**

**MP: 0**

* * *

**Name: Eight**

**Class: [Plague Balloon]**

**Level: 50**

**Affinity: [Dark] & [Earth]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Attack: 10**

**Defense: 0**

**Agility: 90**

**Luck: 0**

**HP: 100**

**MP: 0**

* * *

**Name: Dystopia**

**Class: [Bird-Eyes]**

**Level: ?**

**Affinity: ?**

**Alignment: Lawful Evil**

**Attack: ?**

**Defense: ? **

**Agility: ?**

**Luck: 9,999**

**HP: ?**

**MP: ?**

* * *

**Name: Doppio**

**Class: [Doppelgänger]**

**Level: 65**

**Affinity: [All Eight Elements]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Attack: 60**

**Defense: 60**

**Agility: 60**

**Luck: 60**

**HP: 400**

**MP: 400**

* * *

**Name: Baraka**

**Class: [Pazuzu]**

**Level: 70**

**Affinity: [Dark] & [Wind]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Evil**

**Attack: 92**

**Defense: 65**

**Agility: 70**

**Luck: 10**

**HP: 400**

**MP: 700**

* * *

**Name: Aabidah**

**Class: [Ziz]**

**Level: 75**

**Affinity: [Wind] & [Light]**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Attack: 105**

**Defense: 50**

**Agility: 120**

**Luck: 60**

**HP: 600**

**MP: 300**

* * *

**Name: Iliad**

**Class: [Hydra]**

**Level: 65**

**Affinity: [Fire], [Earth], [Ice], [Lightning], & [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Attack: 89**

**Defense: 99**

**Agility: 20**

**Luck: 40**

**HP: 900**

**MP: 300**

* * *

**Name: Ishmael**

**Class: [Seraphim]**

**Level: 80**

**Affinity: [Light]**

**Alignment: Lawful Good**

**Attack: 110**

**Defense: 110**

**Agility: 105**

**Luck: 100**

**HP: 1,000**

**MP: 200**

* * *

**Name: Strelitzia**

**Class: [Dryad]**

**Level: 80**

**Affinity: [Earth]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Attack: 89**

**Defense: 70**

**Agility: 30**

**Luck: 100**

**HP: 1,100**

**MP: 800**

* * *

**Name: Gaelion**

**Class: [Bahamut Emperor]**

**Level: 100**

**Affinity: [Water], [Wind], & [Light]**

**Alignment: Lawful Neutral**

**Attack: 160**

**Defense: 180**

**Agility: 170**

**Luck: 70**

**HP: 1,700**

**MP: 1,000**

* * *

**Name: Yaelia**

**Class: [Wyrmlich Empress]**

**Level: 78**

**Affinity: [Ice] & [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Evil**

**Attack: 400**

**Defense: 400**

**Agility: 70 **

**Luck: 0**

**HP: 200**

**MP: 200**

* * *

**Name: Rubicante**

**Class: [Iblis]**

**Level: 75**

**Affinity: [Fire] & [Dark]**

**Alignment: Lawful Evil**

**Attack: 105**

**Defense: 60**

**Agility: 100**

**Luck: 10**

**HP: 700**

**MP: 1,000**

* * *

**Name: ?**

**Class: [Stygian]**

**Level: 45**

**Affinity: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Evil**

**Attack: 66**

**Defense: 33**

**Agility: 99**

**Luck: 33**

**HP: 399**

**MP: 199**

* * *

**Name: Bud, Lou, & Harley, The Arkham Triplets**

**Class: [Cerberus Hades]**

**Level: 85**

**Affinity: [Fire], [Ice], [Lightning], & [Dark]**

**Alignment: Lawful Evil**

**Attack: 120**

**Defense: 90**

**Agility: 100**

**Luck: 0**

**HP: 700**

**MP: 500**

* * *

**Name: Kaido**

**Class:** **[Adamantortoise]**

**Level: 99**

**Affinity: [Fire] & [Earth]**

**Alignment: True Neutral**

**Attack: 110**

**Defense: 260**

**Agility: 20**

**Luck: 20**

**HP: 1,500**

**MP: 100**

* * *

**Note: Other [Summons] include too many variants of [Undead] to feasibly list, a handful of [Automatons], a [Harpy], a [Salamander], a [Jackalope], a sapient egg monster/[Eggug], a single [Soul Eater], an entire tribe of [Trolls], several wild/feral [Werebeasts], [Lizardmen], and actual beasts, a [Lampad], the imprisoned [Daemons] in the [Lemegeton], a legion of [Gnolls], [Elder Mind Flayers] (and their lesser counterparts), and magic-adept [Liches], and to top it off, about roughly a handful of [Infantry] soldiers all modeled after the Symphogear Adaptors in appearance.**

**I swear to god, I'm a bit over my head here, and please call me out if I've missed a few.**

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **So, a few things.

First, I've applied for a Gerald Locklin Writing Prize Scholarship, so had to cut down on my writing for the sake of completion.

Second, I also have midterms for my Anthropology class, so there's that.

And finally, I've been binge-grinding Symphogear XD Unlimited since launch, and I now juggle FIVE Gacha RPGs in my phone. That, and also, I've been reading the Symphogear continuation fic, Distortions over the whole week.

So as for the story itself, I am proud to say that it's sort-of-half way done, and the canon has now been thrown out of the window after the whole [Adamantortoise] bullshit, and I plan to drench the entire rock that Melromarc is standing on in gasoline.

... Because next stop is Zeltoble, the mecca of _slave trading_. Do the math.

(Cue Evil Laughter reminiscent of Terumi from BlazBlue).

... Feel free to leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience is thinking.


	26. Epic 25: The Outbreak Part 1

**_ Commencing Second Cour of Chronicles of the Wayward Tome Hero._**

**_(Still) Waiting for Season 2..._**

**_Finger Count: 5/10_**

**_Eye Count: 2/2_**

**_Arm Count: 1/2_**

**_Leg Count: 1/2_**

**_Sanity Meter: 45%_**

**_Death Counter: 36_**

**_Let's burn it all to the ground._**

* * *

_**Epic 25 (For Reals): The Outbreak Part 1**_

* * *

**Switching POV: Palomar Polnareff**

**"Hmm... What a bust that raid was."**

The infamous (and only) sky pirate was ruminating over his botched raid on Q'ten Lo's merchant junks by their ports for some rare tea leaves that they were importing for the Siltvelt Royalties.

Granted, no one on his crew go hurt or killed, and the whole raid itself was proceeding as normal...

... If he didn't notice the fact that the whole Kingdom was suffering from a _mass epidemic_.

Much to his dismay, they were forced to dump their cargo into the sea and spend about roughly two to three months flying over the sea just so that they don't be held responsible for spreading said epidemic in the first place.

Palomar fancied himself as many things: Gentleman, Scholar, Inventor, Duelist, Adventurer, Vigilante, Lover, Father, and Badass, but not a carrier of lethal diseases.

**"... Um, _capitaine_?"**

**"What is it?" **Palomar greeted one of his helmsmen.

**"... We got the confirmation on that 'epidemic'." **The helmsman stated. **"It's less 'epidemic' and more or less a 'curse'."**

**"How so?"**

The helmsman looks through his papers before addressing his captain.

**"... It turns out that the causes are mystic in origin rather than organic."** The helmsman states.** "We spotted traces of forbidden magic and alchemy in some of the infected cargo that you sent to the lab. Apparently, the curse itself is rather... peculiar on how it multiplies itself." **

**"How so?"**

**"... I don't think it's normal for plants to grow plumes of black feathers on its leaves, ****_capitaine_."**

The helmsman then sets down a sealed jar of a flower with a massive crow feather growing out of its stem. But what it really made this abnormality really bizarre was how disproportionately large the feather was compared to the flower.

To put it into a literal perspective, the flower itself was a common dandelion, with a 1/1 crow quill growing out said dandelion.

**"Hmm... Did you check to make sure that no one else on this ship is cursed?"**

**"_Non_ _capitaine_."** The helmsman stated. **"Altitude is still too high for any of us to take off our suits, and we're running low on fuel to commence an autopilot back to checkpoint."**

**"... If that's the case, contact our dear 'Clock Man'. Oh, and be sure to remind our friend to put on a suit of armor that dispels all manners of the arcane arts, just to be safe."**

**"_Oui capitaine_." **

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

... Okay, so let me recap what happened for the past roughly nine-ish months in this crazy-ass world.

First, I get isekaied to this place after my midnight restroom break, only to come out in my jammies (or the American equivalent), barefoot and with a steel brick chained to my wrist. After some artful BSing and subtle manipulating of the events surrounding me, I spurred myself into an admittedly-desperate gamble to test my luck at the middle of the night, killed a few scumbag knights and other cutthroats slowly gaining EXP, I name my brick/[Legendary Tome] Grimm, then more ass-kicking, then circus Eggman shows up and lets us into this circus tent of wonders (not), pick up two demihuman slaves/oath-siblings named [Garou] and [Fubuki], more EXP, skill, equipment, and title acquisitions, find a [Dungeon], inherit an entire underground vault left behind by my predecessors, all at the cost of my thumb.

After that, I go on a personal power trip (realized that after the fact), lose an eye from a [Manticore], nearly fall to my death from riding on top of an elderly [Roc], manage to subvert an entire tribe (or what was left of it) to my side, fought my first (and if I remember correctly, the world's second) [Wave], recruited a shitload of undead monsters and a friggin [Chimera], oh, and let's not forget my new party members, [Byakko], my faithful [Perfected Homunculus] butler and advisor, [Seiryu] and [Suzaku], the most unlikely of foster siblings (former's a [Tyrera] while the latter is a [Filolial]; do the math), both of them, which I just found out that they were born as runts (reason why I didn't acknowledge it in the first place was that in spite of their birth defected, they kick ass), and just to cortinate my very first victory over the [Wave], we celebrated with fireworks, with lots of property damage and me subsequently crashing Melromarc economy (I got C in my Economics Class, bite me), managed to bag an [Archangel] named Ishmael in the process, beat the crap out Moto-chan/[Spear Hero] and Malty/[Patron Goddess of Cutting Edge Bitches] out of principle, while at the same time, decide to join on the whole "Screw Over Naofumi" Game (personal reasons are still confidential), and to top the whole week off, I got another companion, an amnesiac [Gremlin] named [Genbu], which, BTW, has time-stopping powers that seem to forget using occasionally, and allegedly a lighter that doubles as a magical flamethrower.

... I might be having more fun then I should in this world, but hey, whatever doesn't kill me makes me stronger, quite literally, in my case.

So anyway, upon realizing that my presence can drastically affect the whole narrative world of Shield Hero, I began taking my own initiatives to "fix" things. For Mr. Overcompensation/Moto-chan, I took his [Demon Seed], got a sweet [Alraune] plant-waifu named Strelitzia, for Emo-Kirito/Ren-kun, I take the [Dragon Emperor], Gaelion from him, kill his entire party off after they defend a bigoted villager that attempted to kill [Wyndia], a nine-year-old girl, then burnt the mountain village to the ground, had the little girl join my fold after giving her a taste of human blood (in hindsight, might've been a bad move, but long-term, might be worth it), raided a brothel, rescued all the demihuman and human slaves in a Kingdom that outlawed slavery (hypocrites), then concocted an elaborate con to make the [Four Heroes] do my dirty work while me and Wyndia bagged all the good stuff behind their backs, also nabbed a [Wyrmlich Empress], Yaelia, gave the four and their party members a near-death experience via Indiana Jones and powder keg-induced cave-in, and with all said and done, me and Wyndia went back home, with the knowledge of the orphaned dog-girl now having two dragons for foster parents.

... For the reason I haven't mentioned Itsuki, he's no threat. Just some whiney brat that needs to be put into his place someday. No need to rush. I already gave Ren PTSD, Motoyasu 2 circumcisions, and Naofumi a split opinion on me (not anymore; now leaning towards grim necessity).

Let's just say I plan to cook up something extra-special for the little baby.

Afterwards, my whole party decided to go on a vacation to Siltvelt (in hindsight, it was a terrible move), only to get shot down by a cannonball, crash into the last owned property of the fallen-Hakuko clan, got to talk to the patriarch, [Khronos Gaia Hakuko], met his wife/source of Aultcray's hate-boner, [Malva Gaia Hakuko nee-Melromarc], and their kids, [Fohl] and [Atlas]. As we conversed, we were rudely attacked by the Aotatsu, we fended off the vanguard, but by that point, the whole house was a lost cause, so in return for their hospitality, I whisked away the last of the Hakuko Clan, while turning their ruined manor into giant remote mine, ridding all of the evidence and eyewitnesses (hopefully). Then we pretty much traversed on foot, pick up a few more [Summons], disguised myself as a [Werepanther] and blended in with the other buyers, ran into a Japanese girl named [Rio Murasame]/Ren's girlfriend (now Ex-girlfriend), ran off, ran into Miraella Q. Melromarc/The queen of Melromarc herself, at the borders, told her about my current circumstances, gave her a reason to hate her own husband with a half-truth (although with things and how they're developing, it might as well turn out to be the truth), went off, fought a boss I [Hell's Ingle], got an [Ifrit] named Rubicante, [Teleported] back home, everyone else left behind got a lot stronger while I was gone, scout out the Kingdom before the third [Wave] began, gave a few people some scares, fought off the [Third Wave], took way longer than it should, ran into Glass, almost died for good after getting my soul raped, got back up, met L'Arc Berg/[Scythe Hero] and Theresa Alexandrite about half a year early, decided to screw with the canon even more by convincing them to join my party (while throwing Naofumi under the bus, again), destroyed Lugh Village (again), set off to the pig-who-shall-not-be-named's territory, but not before having public sex with my now-[Dryad] plant waifu, leaving behind several [Treants] and [Alraunes] back at base.

... And how many limbs did I lose during that incursion? Not a single one!

So during our travels, I intervened on the whole Melty-frame-up, taunt the old fart a bit, take Melty, have her reunite with her long-lost aunt and cousins, stumble onto Raphtalia's old hometown, camp out, find a secret cult base worshipping my predecessors, got a sweet magic gun/[Grimoire Heart], a sweet new left arm/[Sibylline], a brand-new magic eye to replace my old [Geas] (but why Dead Space-style ocular trauma?), and for the cherry on tip, the same [Cerberus] that killed Raphtalia's parents? Yeah. I went there. After that song and dance, we all then head off to the lesser Ganon's castle.

... And I won't even mention what happened to the pig, nor I shall acknowledge his name. He's dead to me, period.

After that? One more encounter with the so-called heroes, the remnants of the Melromarc military, the cultists of idiots worshipping the three idiots (figure it out), got a [Adamantortoise] named Kaido, a lot of my [Summons] evolved (special mention goes to Gaelion, now finally a [Bahamut Emperor] after months of hype), and as my special trophy, Malty, my new muse/torture doll (think Captain Flynt x CL4P-TP from Borderlands 2).

And all it cost me were my right leg, about several pints of blood, and about over 30 deaths in a row.

... Thank god for forbidden magic and [Effigies]. Might bite me in the ass one day, but might as well grow numb to the pain, amen.

So where am I after I blacked out from my, presumably-fourth blood loss?

Hell? Heaven? Really don't care.

Especially when there's an hallucination of BB-chan floating right in front of me, showing her panties/high-cut leotard underneath her skirt.

**So senpai~! How's the constant near-death experiences treating you?**

"Peachy." I replied. "Although getting my leg bitten off in exchange for nature's equivalent of a mobile ground fortress is sort of worth it."

**Ahahahaha~! Oh my, for someone so smart, you sure are quite ****impulsive! And may I add, stupid~!**

"As expected of BB-chan..." I remarked. "Still smiling like an angel even though delivering scathing remarks like scattering candy wrappers into the air."

**Oh my~! Is senpai a masochist like Passionslip? If so, I have Melt-chan on speed dial.**

"Bitch, I might be."

We then both share a small chortle.

"... So I been meaning to ask." I asked BB. "You're not exactly BB, aren't you?"

The so-called "BB" nods.

"Then what are you?" I asked.

**Your insanity manifested into a comprehendible form.**

"... Okay, that makes a bit more sense." I stated. "Although why BB?"

**Well for one, your mind seems to associate this "BB" with batshit insanity. But why question it when there's no point of it?**

"Dunno. Just insatiable curiosity."

**You do know that curiosity killed a cat, right?**

"And I already died 36 times." I pointed out. "I might be an addict for danger."

**Wow, can't tell if that's badass or kinky. Might be both?**

**... Might be both.**

I simply nod.

"So anyway, you think I did good?" I asked the projection of my own insanity.

**Not bad, actually. But if I had one complaint, is the excess property damage.**

**Unless, of course, the aforementioned destruction of property is the ****endgoal, and if that's the case, go nuts, bucko.**

"You're half-right." I stated. "Property damage is only one part of my endgoal."

**So what's your endgoal, almighty schemer-senpai?**

I grin.

"... Let's just say that I'm going to collectively rip Melromarc, Siltvelt, Shieldfreeden, and Faubley, a fresh new one." I smiled evilly. "But in order to do that, I need to cripple all four of their economies first."

**Which is?**

"Slave trading." I answered with rising glee. "Specifically, the _mecca_ of all slave traders on this filthy rock, Zeltoble."

... Is it bad to say that I'm already smelling charred corpses an scattered ash in my nostrils when I mention that merchant nation's name?

**... Yeah, you might wanna seek out professional help.**

"I _had_ help." I pointed out. "That's was before I was rudely pulled into this world. Hm, now that I think about it, I might be subconsciously making this world pay for my withdrawals for my appointments for my Shrink that my local Regional Center has provided for me. Am I doing that?"

... "BB" goes oddly silent.

"... Yeah, you're right. It's a stupid question." I chuckled out. "Gotta figure out that for myself, right?"

**... To put it mildly, yeah, I guess.**

"Welp, I had my fun." I stated as I stood up from the void known as my subconsciousness. "So, I should probably wake up back into the real world. Got my brothers, sisters, and a wife of my potentially badass plant-kids waiting for me."

**... Sure, but one more thing.**

**Aren't you forgetting a few small things in your recounting of your journey so far?**

"... Does it really matter at this point?" I spoke to "BB". "If it does, let's make that little journey of blood... Season 1."

**So what's this whole "Season 2" mostly going to be about?**

Once again, I smile.

"... _Fire_." I gleefully answered. "Lots of it."

I then spot a light shining within the void surrounding me.

"Welp, there's my exit." I stated. "Whenever I inevitably lose consciousness in the foreseeable future, via sleep, head trauma, or blood loss, I'll be expecting you, my dear kouhai."

"BB" simply waves goodbye.

"Talk to you later!" I stated as I ran towards the light.

**Switching POV: Byakko**

It has been roughly 4 days ever since they've acquired an [Adamantortoise] into their fold.

Travel was molasses-slow, but if anything, having a literal mobile mountain for mode of transportation was rather relaxing, smoldering villages and terrified screams of potentially innocent villagers notwithstanding.

Although to be fair, L'Arc and Theresa did try to give forward warnings towards other villages ahead, but only a third complied to their warnings, while the rest were either crushed underfoot, or burnt to the ground.

... Or a grisly combination of both. Not that it really mattered whether anyone outside of their fold to take the smart option.

But in hindsight, it seems that they don't have any sense of self-preservation. Made even worse, some attempted to scale their colossus, only to be met by the rest of his master's [Summons] out and about patrolling the perimeter.

... Sometimes, he often wonders if his master was _overestimating_ the outsiders's collective intelligence. He may think that the rest of the inhabitants of Melromarc might be nigh-suicidal, but at that point, he'd be making assumptions.

... Even though they hold a _lot_ of merit.

But really though, he's at least glad that he and the rest of fellow family got themselves a whole week's worth of vacation on top of a moving mountain all to themselves, with Byakko himself sunbathing with a pair of stolen mirrors and a deck chair fashioned from straw and branches.

Granted, the stench of rotting flesh and bone is ruining the relaxation, but maybe his master can potentially create more undead out of them.

... That, or the [Summons] eat them, messily.

"OI, YAKKO!"

Byakko lets out a groan before turning his attention back to Chi, his suit covered in_ more_ blood.

"... How many more?" Byakko asked in a tired voice.

"Eight since this morning, but that's not the point!" Chi pointed out. "Bossman's awake!"

Byakko then drops both of his mirrors and dashes into the woods where his master was resting.

Slowly stirring, his right leg now a bloodied stump from the knee-down, his master rouses from his unconsciousness on top of a plant-like pod.

"... Yo." His master yawned out. "... How long was out?"

Byakko composes himself before answering.

"... About four days, milord." Byakko answered. "Regardless, welcome back."

"Yeah..." Nan groaned out before he sniffed the air around him. "... Why does this place smell like an abandoned slaughterhouse?"

Byakko groans into his hands.

"... While you were gone, your [Summons] have seemed to gone on a binge-eating spree." Byakko told his master of the bad news. "Particularly that three-headed hound that seems to be getting a little rounder around its belly as of late."

"... Aw crap." Nan groaned out. "Can you piggyback me to where the Arkham Triplets are? I need to talk to them."

"On it."

Byakko hoists his master onto his back before running off to the cave on top of Kaido's shell.

Upon arrival, the stench of rotting bodies and cleanly-picked carrion overwhelmed their noses.

"... Holy shit, dude." Nan winced out. "I would vomit, but I haven't eaten shit while I was out."

Byakko does his best to not vomit-

*BLEGH*

... It failed miserably, not because of the corpses littering the place, but the mere fact that their [Cerberus Hades] now smells close to _death_.

"... Bud, Lou, Harley?" Nan called out.

The three-headed hound then approaches them, eager to finally see their master up again, their flaming canine skulls looking quite charming, if one disregarded the scent.

"... Look, I'm only saying this because I love you three, but for the love of god, take a bath." Nan winced out. "... Also, I'm putting you three on a diet. Can't afford to keep you all sluggish. That and you need to let the others eat, too."

The triplets bow their heads while giving a slight whine before conceding, pushing their pile of bodies towards the two.

"... Now normally I'm not the one to waste food, but these bastards are way past their expiration date." Nan stated as he casted [Dritte-Fireball], cremating the bodies. "Come on, you three. Let's work the grub off."

The three heads bark as the three/five of them walk out of the cave.

"... By the way, where the hell did you get those bodies?" Nan asked Byakko. "Isn't the nearest civilization around like a couple days away?"

"... Um, about that, milord."

Byakko then sprints towards the edge of a cliffside, revealing to his master of their... unique method of transportation.

"HOLY SHITSNACKS!" Nan screeched out ecstatically. "ARE WE ON A MOVING MOUNTAIN!?"

"... Close enough." Byakko answered. "Your new addition, Kaido, has been more than generous to let us, shall we say, travel in style."

"So wait, then those bodies are-"

Byakko let out a disappointed sigh as he walked away from the cliffside.

"The first village, was an accident." Byakko regrettably informed. "The second, we were turned away by literal pitchforks and torches when we tried to give our warning. The third heeded our warning too late. The fourth tried to kill us, both within the village and on top of Kaido. But after the fifth, it seems that the populace has wisened up, and quickly abandoned their homes upon hearing of our new family member's... _unique_ application of _geographic devastation_. But alas, there are still the foolhardy that tries to scale our mountain, only to meet their brutal and painful deaths."

Nan then lets out a deep groan upon hearing the news.

"... Well, at least they're learning to _some_ degree." Nan sighed out. "By the way, where're the others?"

"At the peak, we set up a temporary base camp." Byakko stated. "The rest of your [Summons] and servants have been patrolling the mountains on top of Kaido, still spotting those zealots from the [Three Heroes Church] along with the vagrant vagabonds, only for all of them to die the same."

A half-eaten carrion of a zealot fell from the treetops, right before their [Harpy] resumes devouring it from the ground.

"... Have their attacks been less frequent?" Nan asked.

"The opposite." Byakko broke the news. "Every one we kill, three seem to take their place."

"Those guys must have a death wish or something..." Nan grumbled out. "And moreover, how the hell are those guys still around!? I mean for fuck's sake, you can only kill so many people from a certain faction before they run out!"

"That's unfortunately, beyond my knowledge, milord." Byakko stated. "But if there's any solace, is that we haven't gone hungry for a while."

"Yeah, tell that to them..." Nan pointed behind his back towards the [Cerberus Hades].

As they slowly ascend towards the peak, the three/five slowly spot a wooden fort erected up ahead.

"BIG BRO!"

Running towards the three/five was Garou, a wolf-demihuman [Brawler] with a bloodthirsty streak, but remained one of the more steadfast and loyal party members.

"Sup champ." Nan greeted. "How're you and others been doin' without me?"

"Same old, same old." Garou heaved out. "But frankly, it's kinda their fault that they came charging at us dick-first, not to mention, their method of stealth was just pathetic. I mean, finding a needle in a haystack _blindfolded_ was _harder_ than spotting [Church Shadows] in the dead of night."

"Heh, true that."

Both then bump their fists together, a sign of blood-bound brotherhood.

"And the others?" Nan asked.

The gates of the citadel open.

"Oh we've been just wonderful."

Behind the gates was a community sprawling with activity, party member and [Summons] alike were either maintaining their equipment, sparring, training, cooking, and other activities to kill time during their travels.

... Sans Malty, who was stung up from her ankles, bloodied, bruised, and clearly starved, currently being used as Fubuki's personal sandbag to raise her proficiencies in her [Gauntlets].

Byakko then hears his master clear his throat, knowing that he's about to speak to the their little hamlet.

"OI!" Nan called out to the community before they all stopped what they were doing and saw their leader.

"... What's good?"

A fair majority of them all gathered toward Nan on Byakko's back, each of them in their own states of elation.

"I'll leave the rest to you, master Nan." Byakko grinned.

... Hopefully, things are finally back to normal. Or as "normal" as they can get.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

... You know, I finally get what "no place like home" really means.

Sure, we're practically several days away from the Archive, but in all honesty, it doesn't matter where I am as long as I have my surrogate family of choice.

To quote a very wise person from a certain manga involving fire, "Houses can be rebuilt, lives cannot".

Words to live by indeed.

"Okay okay, everyone, just chill for a sec." I called out. "... As far as I'm concerned, I take it that you've been doing rather well in my absence?"

"Surprisingly." Fubuki pointed out. "Although that red-headed bitch was a total pain in the ass before we stringed her up."

"Yeah, I had to hold Wyndia back from eating her." Rino pointed out. "I know it's not technically cannibalism on the virtue of them being not the same species, but it might set a bad example. That, and well, her meat might be tainted from all the semen that she drank through her pussy."

I saw Wyndia grumble and pout.

"Garou got to eat people..." She grumbled out.

"In my defense, I only bit their throats out for a quick kill." The wolf-demihuman pointed out.

I then saw the dog-girl pout next to a bearded man with snow-white hair and beard.

"... Uh, you with the girl, who are you?" I asked the bearded man.

"Oh come, can't you recognize me after all that hype?"

I then saw, right before my eyes, the man transforming into a [Bahamut Emperor].

"... HOLY SHIT, GAELION!?" I cried out in surprise before connecting the dots together. "... Oh right, [Emperor]."

**"Thanks to your efforts, I've managed to regain my former splendor."** Gaelion stated.** "I still had my [Emperor's Core] within me, but after my defeat against the current [Filolial Empress], I was stripped of my powers along with my ****official title. But now, I have been reborn, stronger than ever, and for that, you have my eternal gratitude."**

"Don't sweat it, bro." I replied. "Happy to help you out in the long run."

Gaelion then transforms back into his human form, a white-robed sage-like figure with flowing white beard and hair, his forehead jutting out a unicorn-like horn.

"It really does feel good to walk around with two legs again." Gaelion stated. "I mean, a big body was good and all, but really, constantly minding my surroundings and sitting still like a boulder wasn't just for me."

... Hmm, so if an Emperor can achieve a human-like form, then I wonder if Yaelia can achieve a human-scaled form as well.

Do I need to evolve her again? I mean, I would want to stab her with the [Sacrificial Dagger] to find out, but stabbing your own party members in broad daylight doesn't do wonders for overall morale.

That, and well, violation of common sense.

"... Um, before we can continue with what I've missed for the past few days, can I get a chair to sit on?" I asked. "Missing a leg and a pegleg, as one might put it."

"On it."

The butler then carries me to a wooden rocking chair by cottage porch before setting me down onto it.

"So, may I dare ask, if you guys built this place without me, why didn't you guys bring me here?" I asked my party members.

I then spot Strelitzia raising her wooden and flesh hand.

"... That's a fault on my part, darling." My [Dryad] wife spoke out. "You were bleeding out and we didn't have any bandages to stifle the bleeding, so I had to put you into a special healing pod to invigorate your natural healing factor. It was only after the outsiders that attacked us were carrying bandages with them, but thankfully, we managed to clot the bleeding in time."

I then sniff my arm, realizing it smells like fruit peels and lemon skin.

"... Well, at least don't have to worry about taking a bath for a while, if I could." I stated. "Regardless, I understand your intent, honey. Thanks for keeping my blood in my body."

"You're welcome!"

... You know, I'd assumed that I shut away my heart upon accepting the fact I've become a wanton murderer, but seeing the smile of someone I love always reminds me that I'm still somewhat human.

"... Anything else?" I asked the others.

"Well, about the aforementioned idiots that tried to kill us all..." L'Arc pointed out. "... We found these on the zealots and cutthroats."

He then hands me a stack of papers, with the topmost one bearing my new half-mawed visage, flipping off the viewer, and with a bounty of **"330,000,000 Gold; DEAD"**.

Upon reading it, I then spot my new title, "The Demon King".

... I want to laugh, but something in the back of my head clearly disagrees with my guilty pleasure of indulging in my eighth-grade fantasies.

"Huh, my bounty went up." I remarked as I continued to look through the papers, all of them bearing my visage, until I ran into three different visages bearing L'Arc's, Theresa's, and Glass's faces.

For L'Arc, 950,000 Gold. Wanted Dead or Alive for: Accomplice of the [Tome Fallen].

For Theresa, 750,000 Gold. Wanted Alive for: the same thing (fucking pervs).

And for Glass, 15,000,000 Gold. Wanted Dead or Alive for: Leading the Third [Wave] upon the Kingdom of Melromarc, Destruction of [Lute Village], and Manslaughter.

"... For you three noble souls to be convicted alongside me, L'Arc, Theresa, and Glass, I apologize that I got you all entangled into this sociopolitical bullshit." I apologized to the [Heroes] from the Alternative World. "If anything, I kinda deserved my raise."

"... Um, Nan?" Theresa asked. "Apparently I heard that after this world's Second [Wave], you and your party allegedly robbed the kingdom's entire treasury after setting the entire palace on fire, and miraculously not killing anyone in the process."

"Point being?" I replied.

"You think the kingdom has enough liquid capital to enforce these bounties?" L'Arc pointed out. "I mean, my parents thought me early on that any stable nation needs money to run themselves, and you just siphoned a good majority of the kingdom's tax money..."

"... Meaning either that Melromarc's budgetary deficit is now through the roof, or the whole Kingdom of Melromarc is now in a state of a great economic depression." I smiled evilly.

Suck, my, balls, so-called "Sage King". First I took your money, then I took both of your daughters away from you, and later on, I'll be taking that moniker for myself, because I have every single right to be an ass.

"What's with the evil smile?" Glass asked.

"Oh nothing, just that my personal vendetta against that demented old fart is proceeding smoothly as a mountainside river." I replied gleefully. "An elderly king dementia has no right to wield such power and authority over his people, but instead of stripping him everything bare, I'm going to make him watch as he inadvertently burns his own Kingdom to the ground, and yes, he deserves it, every last thing coming for him, which I will be more than happy to offer."

"Is he really that much of a threat, even with the [Waves] still being around?" Glass pointed out.

"True, so that's why I'll... inconvenience him in short bursts." I pointed out. "The [Waves], the crumbling Kingdom of Melromarc reflecting his degradation, and his inevitable reunion with his long-lost sister, now taken by a demihuman, all leading up to his inevitable... well if I said tragedy, it would spoil it all, correct?"

Upon me belching out that statement, I spot Malva, Aultcray's older sister, and Khronos's wife approaching me.

"... I'm painfully aware that my brother's recent actions have been deplorable, particularly towards the [Shield Hero] and you, but is all of that necessary?" Malva pointed out.

I then let out a sigh as I began to explain myself.

"Tell me, Mrs. Hakuko." I asked. "What do you think a leader's greatest fear is?"

"... Never thought of that, honestly." Malva answered. "I mean, I'm constantly living half-scared out of the fear that I might lose my loved ones in some horrific accident."

"... I dunno." L'Arc pointed out. "I mean, before I became the [Scythe Hero], I was just coordinated into rulership of my own kingdom back home, so in personal experience, I really haven't gone that far to get an answer."

I simply answer.

"... It's the loss of faith from your own people." I answered. "A leader's power only exist because of the consent of the people that said leader is ruling over. So what happens if the mutual trust begins to crumble?"

Everyone else exchange confused looks with each other.

"Simple." I pointed out. "Complete, and utter, chaos."

I then look at Malva, who herself was bearing an utterly terrified look on her face.

"... To what end, Nan?" Malva asked.

I let out a small chuckle as I brought about my answer.

"Twofold, really." I pointed out. "First, I'm going to do something about the whole 'issue' between the humans and the demihumans. Pop quiz, just how do you tear down a philosophy, down to its basic fundamentals, and making sure that it never sees the light of day ever again?"

"... I get a distinct feeling that it involves a lot of killing." L'Arc gulped out. "Isn't there another way?"

"... If there was, the whole issue would've been solved in the first place." I retorted. "Over and over, I've been proven wrong that people in this world can even listen to reason at this point. HELLO!? WORLD'S ABOUT TO END, BUT YOU'RE STILL CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR FUCKING RACE WAR!?"

I slouch back on my recliner with a loud thud.

"... Here's how it's gonna go down." I stated. "Around the center of this continent lies a certain merchant-nation called Zeltoble, a crossroads between the four kingdoms, with imports ranging from grocer's goods, products of labor... and _human and demihuman cargo_."

"A nation where all the slave traders gather..." Theresa gasped out.

"Exactly." I stated. "So with that in mind, should the initial strike goes as planned, not only the economic depression will affect all four nations at once, but also, it'll send a clear message, which goes as the following or something close to it: **'The time for slaves and masters has come to an end. Anyone who refuses to comply will be destroyed'**. So when the message passes, hopefully people will now think twice of racism and focus on the real issue at hand."

"The [Waves]..." Glass muttered out.

"Bingo, although there is a possibility that the message might not get through, be ignored outright, or worst case scenario, can be seen as a declaration of war." I pointed out. "But should that be the case... well, think of it this way, the people of this world are more of a threat than the [Waves], so hey, not my first time running through fire for the sake of my friends and family. Minus one leg be damned, I'll fight a war while wearing a fucking pegleg if I have to."

"That, and we have the following." Byakko cut in. "A [Bahamut Emperor], an [Adamantortoise], a [Hydra], a [Pazuzu], a [Cerberus Hades], a [Wyrmlich Empress], a [Dryad], a [Seraphim], an [Iblis], a [Salamander], a [Doppelganger], three [Aerial Automatons], two variants of [Balloons], and not to mention, several [Liches], [Gnolls], [Ogres], [Elder & Lesser Mind Flayers], [Wraiths], [Bird Eyes], [Undead Locusts], and too many other [Summons] to list. Even more astounding, all that I've mentioned so far? That's not counting us, total badasses in our own right, and master's 52 [Daemons] inside of his [Lemegeton]."

Everyone goes completely silent upon my butler's status of our whole party.

"... Forget about a war. Nan basically has on-hands access to the entire continent's kill-switch!" Rio screamed out, in half-glee and half-horror.

"Since when did we become this overpowered!?" Fohl asked.

"... Now, I've seen everything." Atlas dryly remarked. "Excuse me, but I need to stone my bitch of a once-removed human cousin to take my mind off a few things."

"Don't kill her!" I called out as Atlas begun gathering pebbles in her skirt.

Glass then lets out a deep sigh as she approached/floated towards me.

"So you essentially have the power to make the whole continent bend to your will." Glass pointed out. "How's that supposed to help our situation that you promised that you'd aid?"

"That's step two." I replied. "Once I clean out this damn rock, the whole entire rock is basically free real estate. Like I said before, houses can be rebuilt, lives cannot. Better for you guys than the potential scumbags that live here now, right?"

"... Damn, you make a good point." Glass bit out. "But what makes it sure that the crazed goddess won't turn her attention towards this world?"

"Two things, really." I pointed out. "Firstly, as of now, the whore goddess, regardless of me throwing several wrenches to her ploys, she won't acknowledge me as a threat, for again, two reasons. First, she's simply a sociopathic bully who only wants everything to go her way, but appease her in ways that she doesn't expect, well... to put it mildly, for someone wielding power over all space and dimensions, she's a short-sighted idiot who can't help but play with her food. I'm just simply taking advantage of the windows that are open in her so-called plans, all the while, evading her ire while causing as much damage to her ego as possible."

"... So the whole reason why my home world wasn't destroyed in an instant-"

"- Is because Medea gets off on suffering." I pointed out. "Give her what she wants, she leaves us alone, but who says we can't mutually profit before inevitably stabbing each other in our respective backs?"

"Then how do you kill a god?" Glass asked.

"... Okay, matters there are going to get a little bit complicated, but still plausible." I stated. "But here's a question, just how do you think the so-called gods existed in the first place?"

"... I never thought of that." Glass realized. "So you're saying that the gods are-"

"- Are not exactly gods. Just a bunch of stuck-up living being who got too big for their boots." I stated. "Whether through an extremely advanced civilization or literally raising your level numbers beyond the Level 999 cap, a god's power is massive, but still finite."

"So what are you proposing?" Glass asked.

"... Hmm, I got a few ideas, all of them theoretical, but plausible when enough conventional laws of physics and spacetime continuum are raped beyond repair." I stated. "Either we can literally power-level ourselves to godhood and face her on even ground... Or we can go for the dirty option, and turn your adoptive world into a one massive _chronospatial_ bomb."

"Wait, WHAT!?" Glass screeched out.

"Don't worry, the world will be evacuated before it goes boom-boom right in front of her face." I reassured. "Although as I traced it out it's theoretical blast range in my head, there might be a few... side effects upon detonation, which-"

Glass then raises her hand to my face.

"... My brain is about to melt." Glass groaned out. "Whatever you're planning, and how far you've planned, I am not dealing with this with another headache."

Before I can dismiss her, I suddenly pick up a faint smell of a _freshly-__burnt tire_, which follows up with me seeing Glass blush and sway for a bit.

**"So says the lady who gets drunk off the fumes."**

"... How long were you up there, Genbu?" I yelled towards the ceiling.

**"... Don't think I haven't noticed, lassy."** I pointed out. "**You avoid me like the fucking plague, twice-so when I'm taking my afternoon nip."**

As for my [Gremlin] friend, he was literally drinking on the rooftop right now.

Even I can smell the fumes coming from his flask becoming more intense, now that stench evolving into that of an _oil spill_, and Glass's blush slowly became redder by the second.

"L'Arc, please take the kind lady elsewhere. I don't think that she enjoys Genbu's company." I requested.

**"Party pooper!" **I heard Genbu yell out as Glass was guided off elsewhere.

Well, a _siesta_ first, then.

Haven't had that in a good while.

**Switching POV: Garou**

After big bro Nan dismisses everyone, Garou goes off elsewhere before he was caught by one of the Hakuko kids, Fohl.

"What do you want, kiddo?" Garou asked Fohl.

"Please spar with me!" Fohl requested. "I need to get stronger for the battles ahead!"

Garou thinks for himself for a few moments before replying.

"... Alright, just don't expect me to hold back." Garou answered. "Meet me by the training grounds whenever you're ready. Don't chicken out, kay?"

"I'll see you there!" Fohl stated as he ran off elsewhere.

With Fohl gone, Garou then looks for Byakko.

**15 Minutes Later...**

"Alright kiddo, whenever you're ready." Garou stated as he took up a fighting stance with a [Training Dagger] in his right and a [Training Gauntlet] in the other.

"Born ready!" Fohl answered as he banged his wooden [Training Gauntlets].

"Alright gentlemen, remember, this is sparring, so it's a learning experience." Byakko stated as the throw-in referee. "And god help you if I end up having to repair any broken bones."

Both nod.

"Well then, begin."

Both demihumans charge towards each other, with Fohl taking the first strike with a right jab.

Garou then dodges out of the way, ducks under, and swings his dummy knife under Fohl's armpit, making a mock cut, before making using own [Training Gauntlet] as a fulcrum to arc Fohl's entire body over his shoulder, swinging the white tiger-boy over his shoulder, before pointing his dummy knife to his throat.

"And that's enough." Byakko stated. "Good work you two. No one was hurt too badly, so less work for me."

"... Whoa." Fohl heaved out. "How the hell did you that?"

"Simple, really." Garou replied. "That punch was good and all, but you practically left the rest of your body open. Should I've been holding a real knife, I just would've rendered your entire right arm useless, or worst-case-scenario, lopped it off, and while I did finish you off with a jab to the throat, I could've easily gutted you like a carp, or a simple stab to the heart to make a quick kill."

"... So what if I was wearing armor?" Fohl asked.

"Two disadvantages." Garou pointed out. "One, you're adding weight, and if you want to use [Gauntlets] to their full potential, then I suggest you get good at dodging rather than tanking. And two, armor does provide protection, sure, but it doesn't protect the groin, back joints, or anywhere that has a gap in it, and my [Daggers] are small enough to fit through those gaps in the first place, allowing me to reach the meat underneath."

"So what if you can't aim for the joints?" Fohl asked. "What then?"

"Two options." Garou answered. "One, throw fine sand into their visors. The smoother, the better, since even armored knights still need to see. Or two, grappling."

Garou then grabs Fohl's arm, pulls it towards himself, twists his whole body until he sees him from his back, before tackling him to the ground and pinning him with his arm twisted to Fohl's back.

"Protection doesn't mean shit when they can't even move." Garou pointed out as he reinforced his hold on Fohl. "The arms, neck, and the upper back are the most ideal places to put your weight onto your target, and not to mention, the armored person's body is also straining itself to hold up that armor. That's why most people forgo full-body plate armor and just stick to breastplates and helmets. In close combat, the key is balance between agility and defense Neglect either at your own peril, understood?"

"I-I-I GOT IT! SO WILL YOU PLEASE LET-OW OW OW!"

"... Fine." Garou sighed out. "But remember next time, don't leave yourself open while attacking."

The wolf-teen releases Fohl, leaving him lying on the ground.

"Whenever you're ready, kiddo." Garou stated as he sat on the bench, drinking water from a goatskin pouch.

**Another 15 Minutes Later...**

"... Alright, that's enough."

Behind Garou was Fohl, flat on his face with his ass sticking up into the air.

"If there's one thing I can give you credit for, is that at least you learned how to attack while blocking." Garou pointed out. "Now, we're going to have cover on how to dodge."

Fohl muffles in the dirt.

"Just how long you're going to admire the dirt, kiddo?" Garou called out. "C'mon, up."

Garou then lifts the tiger-boy over his shoulder before heading off elsewhere.

"... I've been meaning ask, but..." Fohl asked.

"But what, kiddo?" Garou replied.

"You're so strong, so why do you keep training?" Fohl asked.

Garou thinks for a moment before answering.

"... Because of big bro Nan, I guess." Garou replied. "I mean, ever since he took me and my sis in, at first, I thought that the world outside the cage was about the same; cold, cruel, and everyone's out for themselves. I mean, ever since we were born, the only thing that mattered to be was my sis, so unlike other people behind bars, I had at least something to fight for."

"What changed?" Fohl asked.

"... Not much really." Garou pointed out. "But what I learned from big bro was that change doesn't need to be big in order to change yourself. Throughout the journey, I saw my bro get his thumb bitten off, got his eye shot out by a [Manticore]'s stinger, his arm sliced off by an [Archangel], and watched him nearly fall to his death several times over. Now he comes back, missing one leg."

"... So that's where that crashing sound came from back home." Fohl pointed out. "Wow, Nan must be really brave for a human to go through all that."

Garou lets out a sigh.

"... I really don't think it's because he's brave, kiddo." Garou retorted. "In fact, I think he's trying to show us all something."

"What is it?" Fohl asked.

"... It's showing us that we're not invincible." Garou pointed out. "No matter how strong we get, no matter how high our stats or levels are, it doesn't change the fact that we're mortal. Our bodies break, they bleed, they burn, but it's only through experiencing every sensation of pain that the world has to offer that we can grow strong enough to achieve our dreams."

"So what's your dream?" Fohl asked.

"Mine?" Garou remarked. "Personally, I just want to grow old with my sister and die peacefully in a small hillside cottage. If it means that I literally have kill every last person that's not on our side, whether god or mortal, I will if I must, or die trying."

"... Whoa, you really look out for your sister, huh?" Fohl pointed out. "Kinda reminds me of how me and my twin sister, Atlas..."

"I've been meaning to ask, but why is she stuck at Level 1?" Garou asked.

"... She was born cursed." Fohl stated. "Blind and unable to raise her levels, the rest of my half-siblings from my own family treated us like shit, all because we were half-human. It was only two year before we met that the house of Hakuko were besieged by the knights of Melromarc, leaving the entire Hakuko clan destroyed save for me, father, Atlas, and mother."

"... Yeah, now that I heard it, your whole situation doesn't sound so different from me and my sis." Garou pointed out. "With family being the only thing left in our lives, of course we would do anything to ensure that they at least die peacefully."

"Maybe that's why I asked you to train me." Fohl admitted. "Maybe I want to be strong enough to protect whoever's dear to me, and maybe, just maybe, you kinda reminded me of... well _me_."

"Heh, guess we're both becoming _martyrs_ for our loved ones?" Garou asked. "Well, if it's anything worth writing home about, then you and your remaining family can consider yourself a part of big bro's family."

"Really? You think so?" Fohl asked.

Garou then puts him down on a bench next to Byakko's medical tent.

"Call big bro if you want to." Garou smiled. "Hit me up if you wanna spar later on, kay?"

"Yeah, sure." Fohl smiled back. "... Big bro."

The two bump their fists together before leaving.

**Switching POV: Fubuki**

"Oh, what are you still doing here?"

Fubuki watched the blind tiger-girl still throwing rocks at the bound Malty.

... And not hitting a single one.

"What's wrong, fleabag!?" Malty taunted, half-frightened, half-giddy. "I'm right in front of you-"

Fubuki delivers a chop to the back of her neck, knocking her out cold.

"Come on." Fubuki remarked. "There are better places to destress than being with this little witch."

Fubuki walks the blind girl to the mess hall.

"So tell me, how are you doing?" Fubuki asked the blind girl as they sat down.

"... I feel like Nan's being a bad influence on me." Atlas remarked dryly. "Every single day I spend here, I'm being tossed around by waves of positivity and negativity so frequently that I feel like I'm going to vomit from the fluctuations alone."

"Eh, that's life." Fubuki remarked as waved for one of the maids in the kitchen. "You just gotta learn how to deal with it in a healthy way."

"Does mindless violence fit the criteria of being 'healthy'?" Atlas pointed out.

"Is anything in this world be considered remotely healthy?" Fubuki retorted. "At least in the whole act of mindless violence, it's a way to take your mind off of the bad things in the world."

The two of them are handed a plate of crumpets and mint tea, all of its acquisition being traced back to the pig's manor which they've raided.

"... When you put it like that, it almost makes my curse more like a curse." Atlas bitterly remarked. "In place of actual sight, I can now only see into people's hearts and minds like an open, but all I can see and hear are nothing but pain, sadism, and utter insanity. The worst part? I can't shut it off, no matter how hard I try."

"Eh, call it personal preference." Fubuki pointed out. "I mean, I used to think like that before I met Nan, that the entire world is full of nothing but sadistic liars that will stab each other in their backs at a moment's notice. I mean, granted, not much changed, but Nan did technically teach us that there are good people in this world, or at least the ones that don't deserve to die slowly and painfully as others do-you get what I mean, right?"

"It's a miracle that you've learned your moral spectrum through the people you kill on a daily basis." Atlas snarked out as she munched on a crumpet.

"I'm not a very good conversationalist." Fubuki sheepishly pointed out as she drank her tea. "Just offering my two piece on the whole perspective."

Both bitterly chuckle as they both enjoy themselves.

"So..." Fubuki asked Atlas. "What's it like to have a family?"

"Don't you used to have a family of your own?" Atlas asked back.

"Apparently, me and bro were alone ever since we were kids." Fubuki pointed out. "Our mom died giving birth to both of us, and our dad was sold off elsewhere before the caravan was lost to a mudslide before we were born, at least, that's what the slavers told us at that time."

"... Oh. I'm so sorry." Atlas lamely apologized.

"It's fine." Fubuki waved her away. "Never saw em, so I really can't be afforded to be so broken up over it. That and well, Nan not only brought us in, but he also made a new family for everyone. ... Huh, _family_. Kinda has a nice ring to it."

"... Your heart doesn't lie. You truly believe that your party is like one giant family." Atlas pointed out as she drank her own tea. "... Now that I think about, I think the whole reason why Nan is going so far as he is that he can have a world where everyone can be a family."

"... You know, I want to consider you as my little sister-"

"Let's not get hasty." Atlas cut off Fubuki. "... But for now, I can trust you with my life."

"... It's a start then." Fubuki stated as she bit a piece off of her own crumpet. "And just like Nan said, we'll have the whole continent to ourselves, and to our family."

Atlas lets out a small chuckle before raising her teacup.

"... I might be going mad myself, but you know what?"

Atlas downs her lukewarm tea before slamming it down onto the saucer.

"To our families."

Fubuki smiles back.

"... To our families."

**Switching POV: Malty**

The past four days and nights were an _utter nightmare_.

First, she sees her own goons exsanguinate themselves right in front of her, which Nan claims to be an accident from some kind of weird-ass forbidden magic, then she gets kidnapped by the same lunatic responsible, used as a human shield against a giant-ass turtle monster, which they're currently not only riding on, but also built a settlement on top of it, being surrounded by both demihuman, and literal filth, now herself being soiled with the collective scents of blood, rotting flesh, and shit, and to make matters even worse, her captor wouldn't even give her the release of death.

If anything, the damn fleabag using her as a literal punching bag seemed like a close enough alternative of escape.

_"... No. It's too soon to die."_ Malty thought to herself as she slowly opened her eyes._ "You still need to live to take the throne, and right now, you're alive, and long as you're alive, you can still get out of this mess. C'mon, Malty, you can do this, you can-"_

She is then greeted by the lunatic, currently looking at her with his red right eye, watching her like a hawk.

"... Please kill me now." Malty begged.

"Later." The lunatic replied bluntly. "But first..."

She then saw him pull out a silver [Musket] weapon.

A [Tome Fallen], using a [Musket].

_"... The world has gone completely mad."_

The gun fires, shooting an icicle blade through the rope holding her up, cutting her loose and landing on her head.

"Ow..." Malty groaned out as she nursed her bleeding head.

"Bring her to me."

Then several [Liches] surround her, grabbing her by the arms and legs, with their boney digits digging through her skin and breaking out droplets of blood.

"NO! GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME, YOU UNDEAD FREAKS!" Malty screeched out.

"You heard the lady."

The undead then lift her up, and toss her towards before rolling into the lunatic's sole foot.

"Good afternoon, Princess Malty Melromarc."

She turns her head, seeing the lunatic's red right eye glowing menacingly towards her.

"I suppose you enjoyed our accommodations here?" The lunatic replied. "But before you say anything..."

He then points outside the porch, with the [Dryad] watch in her like a bird of prey.

"... I suggest you watch yourself."

All Malty can do is grimace.

"Oh come now, Choco-Malt." The lunatic spoke out. "Why frown with such a pretty face?"

"YOU BURNT IT OFF, ASSHOLE!" Malty screeched out.

"Oh come now, I think scars add character to one's face, as misery would build one's character." The lunatic stated with a smile. "And besides, it's not like you're in any position to appeal to your vanity."

Malty wanted say something, but was then cut off by the sound of her stomach grumbling.

"... Hm, well, a person can starve herself for so long until she needs to eat." The lunatic remarked. "And FTR, no."

The red eye then shines at her, assuming control over her whole body's movements.

"C'mon, let's get something to eat."

Her body than piggybacks the lunatic, wobbling down the stairs with his heavy body crushing against her emaciated body.

"Hm, so this how you can control one person." The lunatic remarked. "Granted, this was after I learned how my eye works after killing all of your fanboys, but I'm honestly getting a little ahead myself."

Both Malty and the lunatic sit next to each other, with the [Dryad] watching them.

"Okay, shutting off."

She regains control over her body, only to be beset upon by waves and pangs of bodily agony.

"Get us something light."

The [Liches] then serve up two bowls of light brown porridge in front of them.

Malty can only stare at the steaming brown slop right in front of her.

"... What? First time seeing one?" The lunatic asked as he took a serving. "You do realize what position you're in, and not the one in the sack, right?"

"I'm royalty... and yet I'm eating peasant food." Malty half-chuckled. "... I'd rather eat pig shit."

"Well it's gonna be close to pig shit when it gets cold, so come on."

The lunatic then grabs her spoon along with the slop and shoves it into her mouth.

"Eat."

The steamy slop of moist wheat and barley burn inside her mouth, with the spoon still stirring in her mouth, trying to force the food into her mouth and down her throat.

Eventually, the slop goes goes down, and the lunatic pulls the spoon from her mouth.

"So, how's the taste?"

Malty can only gag and cough from the steamy morsel that she was forced to devour.

"Ugh, bunch caviar-eating rich people..." He muttered out.

... And for the life of Malty, she couldn't even make what the lunatic was muttering about.

The lunatic then looks her in the eye, right before eyeing at her portion.

"... You know that ain't gonna eat itself, right?"

Malty simply turns her head in a huff, until she felt a cold, metal hand touch her right shoulder.

**"You wanna find out what happens when food is wasted?"**

Malty gulps in place of her words.

**"Glad I got through."** The lunatic smiled.** "Now eat."**

She then began devouring the brown slop like if her life depended on it, ignoring the burns inside of her mouth, as the piercing gaze of her captor drilled into her very soul.

_**After a Really Slow Lunch...**_

... Her mouth felt numb from the burns, her tongue swollen from the heat, and her throat feeling uncomfortably warm from the food.

"Glad you enjoyed yourself."

Malty wanted to vomit at her captor's face to spite him, but something in her head scream that he might _like it_.

"... Here."

The lunatic then hands her a cup of water.

"... What? You'd expect that I'd splash you with it?" The lunatic remarked. "Oi, I may be crazy, but I have table manners."

"I'd find that hard to believe." Malty grumbled out as she drank the water, hoping that it was poison.

... Much to her disappointment, it wasn't.

"Now now, no need to be so dour." The lunatic spoke out. "After all, contrary to appearance, I very much have no intentions of letting you die."

"... Why?" Malty asked. "Why go through all this?"

The lunatic closes his eyes before answering.

"It's simple, really." The lunatic spoke out. "Out of all the scumbags that crawl upon this world, you're a... shall we say, an odd case."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Out of all the idiots we've slain, you seem to hold a unique kind of contempt that only a few people can stomach to muster, but you, among those few, breathe it out like air." He pointed out. "You hold no love, respect, trust, or loyalty to any person, institution, race, gender, or philosophy. In that little heart of yours, there's only enough room for you, and everyone else, including me, are nothing more than potential enemies to either eliminate, or manipulate, but towards what, I wonder? Is it the crown? The approval and respect you deserve? The whole idea of controlling this whole continent to sate your boundless ego?"

"Why are you asking me this?"

"... Malty, I can literally read you like an open book, but your psychological contents are so rich with potential research that it can be done about the human ego. Malty, you're literally a treasure trove of psyche-majors everywhere! People would literally kill to cut your head open with a spoon and scoop out what's in your noggin like custard pudding!" The lunatic ranted out as he got too close to her face. "Malty, Malty, MALTY! Out of all the people and scumbags I had the pleasure of breaking, you're the cream of the crop. You're the apex of human scum! Not for authority, not for power, not for respect, peer or self, not for an ideal, not for a goal. You're literally living because there's no way to sate your bottomless sadism! A cesspool of sin and vice, all too under a hollow lie of you actually accomplishing anything in that complete and utter_ lie_ you call life."

"JUST WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!?"

"... I want you say it, from the bottom of your_ dead little heart_." The lunatic stated. "I want you to say:**_ 'I've wasted my entire life because I never grew up.'_**"

"... What?" Malty remarked in confusion.

"... Back in my world, there was a philosopher who went by Thomas Hobbes." The lunatic stated. "He wrote the book called _**Leviathan**_, where he goes over the basic idea of human nature, that everyone of us are always born entitled to something, and no matter what that thing is, it inevitably leads to conflicts with a fellow, man, eventually leading towards the conclusion that, being put into the context of this world, both you humans and demihumans are born to be self-entitled dickbags who'll never come to a mutual understanding, and that the only way that we can even stomach each others's existence and prevent our mutual self-destruction is through society and its institutions to be hardwired towards discipline. People will be in line under enforced order, and if done right, then all negative aspects of social order such as racism, classism, sexism, and every single '-ism' that brackets people into separate and unnecessary pens, will all be rendered obsolete. After all, if one's worst vices are conditioned to be suppressed in the name of common decency, then surely, people will then earn the right to live."

"Just what are you even saying?" Malty questioned. "Just what does an anarchist like you have to say about civilization?"

"... Don't you SEE!?"

The lunatic then grinds his forehead against hers.

"YOU ARE _THE _LEVIATHAN!" The lunatic barked out at her face. "YOUR MERE EXISTENCE IS BASICALLY THE VINDICATION OF HOBBES'S THESIS OF PEOPLE BEING BORN-SCUMBAGS THAT NEED TO BE PUT UNDER THE WHIP OF ORDER IN THE FIRST PLACE! YOU'RE EVERYTHING THAT'S WRONG WITH THIS SOCIETY, AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON HOW YOU FRAMED NAOFUMI OUT OF ANY PERCEIVED PREJUDICE BECAUSE OF THE STATE RELIGION! YOU DID IT OUT OF YOUR FREE WILL! AND THE WORST PART!? YOU'RE SO BLIND TO YOUR OWN FAULTS THAT I LITERALLY CANNOT DECIDE THE NEXT COURSE FOR YOUR FUTURE!"

The lunatic then stops yelling at her face before breaking away from her.

"... Which is why I'm also going to _vindicate_ Hobbes's thesis, _my way_."

Malty was too afraid to even talk to the madman anymore. He was beyond reason. A gibbering lunatic who knew nothing he was talking about.

... But what he talked about surprisingly made sense, much to her great displeasure.

"You want to control this world, then that's fine. Do what you will." He spoke out. "But I'm going to destroy everything that you know and love first, so that you can't. But here's the best part. As the whole world that you knew? The same world where you were served hand and foot? The same world you can masturbate to other people's despair? The same world where you won every, damn, time?"

The madman's lips contorted into a _perfect crescent_.

**"... _You're_ going to watch, as I burn it _all_ to the ground."** He declared. **"Still don't believe me? Well, I simply won't _say_ that you'll be humbled to utter powerlessness by the end our little adventure, but who says that I can't give it a shot?"**

Malty wanted to laugh. But she couldn't.

The [Tome Fallen] was the same Devil that she painted and slandered the [Shield Hero] to be towards the public.

A literal Devil-no.

An actual _Demon King_ stood before her, smiling like a lakeside maiden, with the intent of a _mad god_.

"... Alright, I had enough." He stated. "Honey, if you will."

The last thing that Malty smelled was the faint scent of flower pollen before blacking out.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

God, I love her [Knockout Pollen]. Instant sedation with a single blow.

After a good venting and a late lunch, I was escorted back to my rocking chair, with the fair maiden now by my side, in chains.

"Hey Grimm."

The [Forbidden Tome] shows up before me.

"... So what do you think of her?" I asked about Malty? "I mean, as both a human being, and an individual."

**"... I really can't bring myself to care for her."** Grimm answered.** "I mean, I get that you hate her more than the others, so why spare her?"**

"It's for that reason why." I replied. "She's unapologetically evil, for sure. But that's why I'm fascinated by her as such, more than I'd like to admit. She's still young, I mean, we're practically the same age of 19, but despite appearances, I think she kinda gave up on life."

**"... So want her to show that there's more to life other then her own self-inflicted hell?"**

"She only thinks that she's Kirei, that she has no choice but to be evil because it's in her blood. Her impulses." I pointed out. "And see it as a problem, so I want to fix that."

**"... You know that she's the piece of the goddess that destroyed Glass's home world, right?"**

"True, but killing her won't solve anything, now would it?" I pointed out. "I mean, looking at it from a macro scale, she's holding no hostages, no political power other than being one other ruler's daughters, already proven herself to be an utter incompetence, both to the public, and the [Three Heroes Church], and even if I did kill her under the assumptions that she's one of the pieces of Medea, she'll simply come back, just because. Remember, I have to deal with this with the utmost of prudence, for carelessness is a waste of action. And despite everything, I may hate her, yes. With all my heart, but that's why I want to save her. So she can become her own person, and hopefully, start from scratch."

**"You know that it can be argued that you burning down several villages and a nobleman's castle wasn't solving anything."**

"_Un contraire_, Grimm." I retorted. "I did. I'm starting to make them _doubt_ the status quo."

**"How so?"**

I let out a small chuckle.

"You know how back at the castle, when we showed up through the ceiling, on top of Ishmael before he joined us?" I pointed out. "How we came in, bloodied, brutalized, and like _total badasses_?"

**"... And how they took a step_ back_ when you took a step_ forth_."**

"It's a _sign_, Grimm." I stated. "They're _scared_ of me, and eventually, all of us. The mere mention of us will make them shit their collective pants, and maybe, just maybe, they might start using their heads more, start questioning the world around them more, and eventually, the truth shall come towards them like a speeding buffalo."

**"What is that gonna do?"** Grimm asked.** "Just how will making them scared accomplish anything?"**

"Fear is good source of clout, Grimm." I answered. "Fear is motivation, fear is control, fear is the fuel that burns the fire known as _change_. The fear that their old world will fail them in the end, the fear that their lives were completely wasted under the delusion known as 'order', the fear of becoming _obsolete_, fear is what forces people to grow. _Fear_... is the _ultimate truth_."

**"So what then? Scare them out of their minds til they can't take it anymore?"**

"Even better, Grimm." I answered. "Through fear, I will condition them to conquer it. When fear, temporal, spiritual, primal, all of it, are conquered, enlightenment will be reached. People will stop fearing everything, and accept that it's okay to be and stay scared. Once the threshold is passed, then people will unite, people will begin understanding, each other without fear. A brave new world, where the strong, cunning, and brave prosper, while the weak, naive, and the ignorant suffer. That's my dream Grimm. A world completely liberated, from fear and stability that feeds it."

**"... So basically a world literally everyone is a raving psychopath acting upon their own impulses, without exceptions."** Grimm stated.** "How's that gonna help?"**

"Don't you see, Grimm?" I stated. "People only rationalize because of fear! The [Three Heroes Church], the [Waves], the dichotomy between humans and demihumans, all of it! They're all social constructs that hold people back from their full potential! So once I make them keep questioning everything until no more questions can be asked, then true liberation is achieved."

**"... That somehow makes no sense, but at the same time, makes total sense."** Grimm remarked.** "Why don't you just say that you want to revert the world back to its primordial roots?"**

"I gotta make sure that the people understand the whole package deal." I replied. "In order for complete liberation, we first gotta destroy the very institutions that defang the wolves that mankind are."

**"The [Three Heroes Church]?"**

"Every, damn, religion." I answered out. "The so-called 'truth' will no longer come like pre-packaged processed meat. It will come _raw_."

**"_Phrasing_ dude."**

We both then share a chuckle.

"... But first, I gotta go and finalize the plan to fuck up the economy even more." I stated as I pulled out a map. "Zeltoble is practically swimming in capital from the revenue they get in slave trading. Imagine what happens if all of the gold mint gets melted into _slag_."

**"... Then suddenly, money no longer becomes an object for everyone."**

"Bingo~!" I snag out. "Up top."

We exchange a high-five, or a close approximation.

"Alright, enough resting on our laurels." I declared. "Time to bust out the comms."

I link everyone in my party.

**[Everyone gather up for a strategy meeting in the next two hours. This is utmost of importance.]**

**Switching POV: Rio**

She's heard too much.

Just listening to Nan talk about his dreams was too much to bear.

Nan wanted to destroy all civilization, so that everyone can essentially turn into madmen running about like wild animals.

It was wrong, very wrong, but at the same time, he was in a way, _right_.

Has she become no different from sheep when living a so-called "normal life"?

Was being a wolf part of her true nature?

Hell, is the term, "normal life" even real?

... Now that she thinks about it, SAO, in hindsight, was practically a dream come true for her.

Growing up in a strict society where someone like her was expected to finish school, graduate college, get married, and live out her "peaceful" life where she had little control over her own world?

In SAO, at least she got to choose how and when she died. It got her to embrace... the more _primal_ side of her humanity.

It was addicting to kill those monsters that were trying to kill her, fighting for her life, every single day, all to live one more day for survival.

... In a way, she only felt truly alive when she put her life on the line for something that she values the most.

Maybe that's why she chose to be Ren's girlfriend, so she can keep on fighting under the pretense that she's fighting for something "important" to her.

Hell, when she and the others found out that SAO's lifelink was caused from an _accidental glitch_, and when she saw Ren get stabbed right in front of her...

She only felt... _disappointment_.

"... Just why am I... so _empty_!?" Rio gasped out as her back slid down agains the wall behind her.

She curls up into a fetal position, trying to rationalize with the existence with her inner beast.

"No, no. That was just a phase, Rio." She muttered to herself. "It was just a spur of a moment thing, they were trying to kill you-"

A crumpled up paper rolls to her feet.

She reluctantly picks it up, and unfolds it.

**IT'S BETTER TO BURN OUT THAN TO FADE AWAY**

... The beast that she birthed in SAO began to wickedly_ cackle_ within the depths of her very soul.

He knows.

He knows.

He knows.

He knows.

"... He knows _all_." Rio whispered out to herself as a single tear ran down her eye in utter _horror_. "We're all mere _beasts_ in _cages_."

Then she hears a faint voice inside her head. The very same voice she'd spoken with at her time in SAO.

**"only he can free us all"**

**"only he can free the whole world'**

**Switching POV: L'Arc Berg**

He and the others were all gathered around the table in the cottage where Nan was napping at, with Nan now leading the meeting with the map at the center of the table.

Even after what Nan has said to his friend Glass, the kid was right.

This world was corrupt, and that it's own self-interests and greed are dooming towards its destruction, and at least Nan, despite his manic and destructive tendencies, he was at least, trying to solve the problem, with mixed results.

Better than no results, but hey, if a fucking cloud of fire and brimstone from a few nights ago ain't enough to convince the whole world that there's a bigger issue that needs to be addressed, then maybe this world needs to go through Nan's "Spring Cleaning".

... Granted, innocents will be caught up in this mess and will inevitably die, but in hindsight, he and his friends were doing the same thing when they came through the [Waves] to kill the other [Heroes]. So in a way, he's just as much of a murderer as Nan, not helped by his penchant for a good fight ever since he became the [Scythe Hero].

... Oh god, is Nan some kind of a magnet for _battle manias_ like _himself_!?

Whatever, they were about to plan out an all-out attack against the continent's slave trade capital, so hey, it's not like anyone's gonna miss a bunch of racist slavers.

It was night, everyone had dinner, and morale was sky-high. They were ready, and ready to _kill_.

"So big bro, what's there to_ kill_?" Garou asked while licking his lips ravenously. "_Who_ are we going to kill?"

"Patience, patience, all in due time, little bro."

He then places a stone labeled "Kaido: Scale 1/100k" on a certain spot on the map, labeling the [Adamantortoise] that they were riding on as of now.

"Okay, a few things to confess." Nan stated. "First of all, I apologize for blowing my cover back at the manor. I meant to make that operation a bit more discreet, but I had to learn the hard way that me being a walking fire hazard can only have the subtlety of an erupting volcano."

L'Arc looked at Genbu, who himself was still drinking from his flask.

"How much does he even drink?" L'Arc asked.

**"How much don't I laddie?"** Genbu replied with a shit-eating grin.

So says the [Gremlin] who drinks like a whale.

"Anywho!" Nan cried out. "Let's go over how the whole city is laid out."

He then pulls out a smaller map labeled "Zeltoble."

"Zeltoble." Nan started. "Population roughly 25,000, 70,000 counting the constant influx of live cargo coming in and out of the city gates, declared a neutral territory for being an economic backbone for all four kingdoms. Even Faubley, a kingdom that's going an industrial revolution as of now, still relies on this kingdom to keep their revenue moving. After all, no matter how advanced the kingdom may get, they still need manpower to keep themselves moving whether through labor or _pleasure_... I'll give all of you a minute to vomit outside."

Rio, Rino, and Theresa all run outside and vomit.

"Okay, anyone else?" Nan asked. "... Because I kinda need to go too."

He then hops towards the window, opens it, and vomits on the porch.

"... Urp, alright, better now. I think." Nan grunted out. "Sorry, I can stomach bloodbaths, but any sort of human or demihuman trafficking kinda makes me lose my lunch out of sheer disgust."

L'Arc just sweatdrops at Nan's remark.

_"At least he has standards..."_

"Well, enough of that, time to lay out the reports." Nan stated. "I had several of my [Bird Eyes] and Aabidah do some reconnaissance, and we did manage to pick up a few things. Firstly, I'd hear that this time of year they're having a merchant carnival, where everything can be purchased at a discounted price, meaning more buyers from different kingdoms will come here to buy slaves, but also, more slaves will be put into the market in hopes of the merchants making a profit, including a certain clan of slavers that happens to run one of the biggest outfits in the business..."

So his plan so far is to cripple the international economy by attacking where all the slavers are gathered.

"Wait." Theresa spoke out. "If there are a lot of buyers, wouldn't that present it's own slew of problems?"

"I've already taken into account." Nan replied. "Yes, there are going to be a bunch of fat cats with fat sacks of moolah surrounded by a lot of bodyguards. Yes, the city itself is littered to the brim with sword-for-hires, and they're the best the money can buy, with several of them equaling some of us in strength, but also in experience and ruthlessness. But, I have my own solutions dealing with them."

He then flicks out a golden coin onto the table.

"Need I remind you that they're _sellswords_?" Nan pointed out. "I've stolen of all of Melromarc's tax revenue from its coffers, and the fatass we butchered several nights prior was also loaded with gold himself, not to mention, several pieces of treasure that he'd on him. No matter how ill-gotten they are, gold is gold, and sellswords are no different from _whores _when it comes to lining their own pockets."

"You're buying them out?" Malva remarked. "That's... kind of brilliant."

"And even if they refuse, whether out of standards or loyalty, I've already thought of that too." Nan declared. "If some sellswords operate out of some sort of personal code or standards, then either they're unaware of the more disgusting practices to their jobs, particularly more of the fresh-faced ones or more fettered kind, then perhaps I can have them join my cause. However, should I fail on both accounts..."

He then unsheathes his skull-emblemed dirk, pinning it into the map.

"... Then I can _make them_ loyal." Nan stated. "Or at least their inner demon. At worst, they'll make a good distraction, assume it's someone's product gone loose, which in a nation like Zeltoble, is not uncommon, henceforth, the hired muscle."

"... Are you implying that!?"

"Yep!" Nan grinned out. "Imma start a full-blown slave rebellion in a city where the majority populace happens to be slaves!"

"You know that they're going to get cut down, right?" Glass pointed out.

"True, but two things." Nan retorted. "First, we're not talking about slaves that can be sold for cheap as some asshole noble's torture doll. We're talking about slaves who are high-quality, the kinds you buy as personal bodyguards, meatshields, support, _skilled laborers_, bred and trained to the best of their profession. And disregarding skill, there are also several feral [Beastmen] and monsters that I can simply let loose upon the population, and you do the math from here."

"... Discord." Khronos pointed out. "Both internal and external."

"First, a few party members will infiltrate the kingdom as buyers, with the gold we've accumulated and stolen from our disguises, we'll blend in with the crowd. Then, we'll set up an outside perimeter around the city-state, with Kaido hiding behind one of the mountains, ready to steamroll them if they must, but that's last resort." Nan stated. "Rubicante will set up a wall of hellfire around the city, cutting off any means of conventional escape, and even if they managed to escape via air, I have several flying [Summons] that can intercept them... one of them including a [Bahamut Emperor]."

"That's totally overkill." Rino gasped out. "... I love it."

"But keep in mind, the slaves won't be out and about on the streets., lest they be cut loose and run free, so they're instead held underground beneath a coliseum at the center of the city, so worry not of causing innocent casualties along the way, so feel free to go nuts on the city grounds." Nan stated. "But mind the grounds around the coliseum. We're not going to risk a cave-in, so be wary."

"You know that most of your attacks tend to melt the ground above and below, right?" Fohl pointed out.

"True, but I think Gaelion has a solution for that little issue." Nan looked towards the bearded sage-like figure with a [Monoceros]'s horn.

Gaelion lets out a small chuckle before speaking.

"... I'm _part-whale_, for a good reason." Gaelion pointed out. "Don't assume us [Dragons] to be all about just breathing fire and hoarding gold."

... Part-_whale_? What, is he now some kind of mammalian-reptilian hybrid?

"Alright, that enough with the briefing, now onto party composition." Nan stated. "Me, Genbu, Garou, Fubuki, Rino, and Glass will go into the city. Genbu and I will chat up with the mercenaries to see if they're interested, Garou and Fubuki will sneak into the coliseum and proceed towards general sabotage, basically if you find anything that looks important, break it when no-one's looking."

"Works for me." Fubuki nodded.

"Got your back as always, sis." Garou reassured.

"As for Rino and Glass, I want you to remain out of sight." Nan ordered. "Glass being a [Phantom] means that she's part-[Ghost], so surely, stealth is natural for you, correct?"

"... About that." L'Arc points out.

"Goddammit." Nan bit out. "How bad?"

"A drunken fat man has a higher chance of not being spotted than her." Theresa stated. "And that's when she's sober."

"... You know what, Glass, accompany me and Genbu in case things go to shit." Nan ordered. "Rino, you're okay on your own, right? If not, I can have my [Stygian] accompany you."

"That'll be great." Rino nodded. "But what about an escape plan? You know, in case if everything goes wrong?"

Nan smiles.

"... Then that's where the rest of the party comes in." Nan points out. "An enemy will only expect an exit strategy from their opposition as long as they have their own."

He then looks towards L'Arc and the rest of the gathered party members.

"Your job is to make sure that no one gets in or out of Zeltoble." Nan stated. "I want no witnesses escaping, lest an entire army flanks and besieges us from behind. If anyone so much as approaches or leaves Zeltoble, cut them down right where they stand. They're_ not_ our friends, regardless if their men, women, or children. Unaffiliated or otherwise. And army scout or a bandit too big for its boots? All will die, without exception. And that'll be my ultimatum against this whole damn rock that I'm going to clean out. Am I clear?"

"Anything the master says, I'll will do without hesitation." Byakko declared as he bowed. "It'll be done with the utmost of my abilities."

"Let me fill em full of holes." Chi cackled manically as he cocked both of his guns. "Time to go to _war_, bitches."

"Enforcing discipline?" Beta remarked as she twirled her [Thunder Coil Mace] like a baton. "Much obliged."

"I'll gladly feast on their entrails..." Alpha giggled out as she caressed her [Scythe]'s shaft against her cheek. "... Blood will _rain_ in the name of our master."

Everyone murmurs in agreement, much to L'Arc, Theresa's, and Glass's shared _dread_.

_"... The kid planned for literally everything."_ L'Arc thought. _"He's dead serious. He's going to kill them all."_

L'Arc tried to come up with a counterargument, but he couldn't.

He was already branded a criminal, along with Theresa and Glass, so no one was going to take them in, and they'll end up fighting against the whole world on their own. At least with Nan, they at least have a chance.

"... Why, Nan." L'Arc asked.

The whole room goes quiet upon hearing his question.

"... Just why are you willing to do all of this?" He asked.

Nan sighs out before responding.

"... There's a saying back in my world from a certain, shall we say, _rebellious_ prince." Nan stated. "When there's an evil that even justice cannot defeat, would you taint your hands with evil to defeat evil? Or would you remain steadfast and righteous, even if it means surrendering evil?"

L'Arc couldn't must up any words to rebuke Nan's claims.

"Change will never come about if you don't make it happen." Nan declared. "In order to defeat evil, I _will_ become an even greater evil, because if I stop now, then all the blood I've spilt throughout my journey will be in vain. Nothing will come of nothing, and you sure as hell can't change _anything_ without getting your hands dirty."

L'Arc's knees grow weak before they hit the floor.

"... Two hours." Nan declared. "Zeltoble will be reduced to _cinders_ before the next dawn. If you want to stop me, be my guest, but I assure you, hurting you is at the _very bottom_ on my list of priorities."

Nan was then carried out of the cottage by his butler, leaving behind L'Arc, who's completely broken, with only Theresa and Glass as company.

"... Theresa." L'Arc asked.

'L'Arc, it's okay." Theresa reassured. "I'm sure Nan didn't mean anything-"

"No, Theresa."

He then began to think about all of the people both in his world and this world that died because of their intervention.

... All the while calling himself a [Hero].

He resolved himself to destroy this world in order to save his own, but upon looking at it again through a different perspective of him being bestowed upon the knowledge of a goddess's existence, he realizes that he's changed _nothing_.

Only _delaying _the_ inevitable_, as a [Hero-, no.

... As a simple _murderer_.

"... Why did I become a [Hero] in the first place?" L'Arc lamented. "Just how many more innocents have I killed for _nothing_?"

**[Cursed Series] Unlocked**

**[Despair Scythe 5] Unlocked and added to the [Cursed Series]**

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **An extra, extra-long chapter to keep you all fulfilled.

So yeah, now Nan's plans have escalated to a bigger scale, with him burning planning to down the entirety of Zeltoble, amass an entire army of ex-slaves to join his cause of "Liberation", slowly becoming the "Greater Evil" as he declared.

So with that, here's the summary of Nan's Plans (so far):

\- "Spring Cleaning" on the entire continent through force.

\- Save the inhabitants of the other world by brining them to the current world to rebuild.

\- Find a way to kill the Goddess responsible in the most badass way possible.

\- Reform Malty by enforcing a "Misery Builds Character" method onto her in the most extreme way possible. Basically, put her through an ordeal that Naofumi went through, but more tailored to beat the haughtiness out of her.

Plans are convoluted enough for you readers? If so, then the plan itself is working.

And yes, I went there.

I made L'Arc fall into a despair event horizon and made him unlock his [Cursed Series] on his own, without any stabbings involved.

Oh, and as for Rio's inner beast, I based it off of a small subplot involving the whole Golden Apple Guild murder mystery arc, where Griselda was murdered by her husband out of fear that she'll become too bloodthirsty to resemble the woman he'd loved (yeah the whole motive was bullshit).

... Thought I give it a crack at it. After all, if Ren is literally discount Kirito, then why would anyone date him other than pity?

Try and connect the two and two together, and see if it makes any sense as much as the context.

But enough of the darkness and gloom, let's talk about the good things that happened for our pack of fanatics!

Byakko got to enjoy himself for a few days and took up sunbathing, the two twins, Garou and Fubuki, along with Fohl and Atlas, begin to form rapport with each others, Nan finally gets some adequate sleep, and oh, "BB" at the beginning played the role of Pedro from My Friend Pedro, the weird-ass 2D Shooter game with the talking Banana.

Remember, folks, Nan's no [Hero], nor is he a villain.

He's something else. A vision, a purpose, a different world.

After all, _things that don't change are destined to go extinct_. And it just happens that the whole continent that the story takes place has been marked for death.

Please enjoy this live-cooking show of the entire continent brought to you by Nan and Company. The rock itself is the hot iron flattop, and the people living on said rock are the_ ingredients_.

The new world will be served as _Teppanyaki_, and the cooking oil has been set.

* * *

_**Current Party Members:**_

* * *

**Name: Nan Hon-Jah**

**Class: [Tome Fallen]**

**Level: 72**

**Affinity: [All Eight Elements] & [Ten Primordial Sins]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Mad**

**Equipment: ****[Forbidden Tome, Grimm the Heretic], [Grimoire Heart], [Lemegeton], [****Sibylline****], [Necromancer's Robes], [Mire Boots], [Wight's Rune of Spite], [Silver Wolf's Maw], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Visage of Madness], [Mystic Geas: Puppeteer], [Portable Dragon's Hourglass]**

**Attack: 86 (+195)**

**Defense: 81 (+10)**

**Agility: 80 (+25)**

**Luck: 73 (+85)**

**HP: 620 (+95)**

**MP: 730 (+305)**

* * *

**Name: Garou**

**Class: [Slave Brawler]**

**Level: 77**

**Affinity: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Assassin's Leather Armor], [Nightshroud], [Blade Gauntlets], [Primal Claws], [Katars]**

**Attack: 98 (+50)**

**Defense: 62 (-20)**

**Agility: 100 (+65)**

**Luck: 50 (+20)**

**HP: 820 (+20)**

**MP: 300 (-100)**

* * *

**Name: Fubuki**

**Class: [Slave Monk]**

**Level: 77**

**Affinity: [Ice]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Twilight Gunstaff], [Darkbane Gauntlets], [Twilight Cloak], [Twilight Hunter's Hood], [Mana Medallion]**

**Attack: 89 (+45)**

**Defense: 56 (+30)**

**Agility: 91 (+25)**

**Luck: 87 (+20)**

**HP: 570 (-50)**

**MP: 930 (+100)**

* * *

**Name: Genbu**

**Class: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Affinity: None**

**Alignment: ?**

**Equipment: [Wayward Nomad's Garbs], [Silver Pocket Watch & Chain], [Silver Shortsword], [Silver Buckler], [Fafnir's Flametongue]**

**Attack: ?**

**Defense: ?**

**Agility: ?**

**Luck: 9,999**

**HP: ?**

**MP: ?**

* * *

**Name: Rino**

**Class: [Slave Assassin]**

**Level: 66**

**Affinity: [Earth]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Brave Compound Bow], [Spark Dagger], [Steel Throwing Knives x20], [Assassin's Cloak], [Shadow Mufflers], [Silent Step Sandals]**

**Attack: 69 (+80)**

**Defense: 40 (+10)**

**Agility: 87 (+120)**

**Luck: 86 (+90)**

**HP: 360 (+40)**

**MP: 300 (+40)**

* * *

**Name: Glass**

**Class: [Phantom Fan Saint]**

**Level: 91**

**Affinity: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Sacred Fans], [Kimono of Mourning]**

**Attack: 105 (+50)**

**Defense: 84 (+50)**

**Agility: 123 (+50)**

**Luck: 51 (+50)**

**HP: 790 (+200)**

**MP: 830 (+200)**

* * *

So, what do you guys think of this Epic?

Please leave a comment or a review, for I'd love to know what my readers are thinking!

Also, watch out for COVID-19, and don't forget to wash your hands!


	27. Epic 26: The Outbreak Part 2

**_Commencing Second Cour of Chronicles of the Wayward Tome Hero._**

**_(Still) Waiting for Season 2..._**

**_Finger Count: 5/10_**

**_Eye Count: 2/2_**

**_Arm Count: 1/2_**

**_Leg Count: 1/2_**

**_Sanity Meter: 45%_**

**_Death Counter: 36_**

**_Let's burn it all to the ground._**

* * *

_**Epic 26: The Outbreak Part 2**_

* * *

**Switching POV: Nan**

... It had to be this way.

But I'm also painfully aware that it was too harsh to be considered tough love.

L'Arc, unlike me, is a good person at heart.

... I guess coming to this world _broken_ has its disadvantages. Because unlike the others, I didn't come here to _be_ broken. I came in like _already_ a_ broken glass_.

No, not broken.

Shattered. In pieces.

But it's thanks to this world being broken, that I managed to piece myself back together.

My party is more than family now.

They literally make up pieces of my existence and self-worth.

"Guess the prince was right." I remarked to myself. "Happiness is like glass."

Outside, I spot Malty being leashed by Strelitzia's ivy and vines.

"Any attempts of escape?" I asked.

**"Like you wouldn't believe."** Strelitzia groaned out.** "I had to catch her from jumping off of a cliff. Several times. Then she tried to choke on her own tongue, so I had to drug her with a lot of mind-numbing spores. But that didn't work, so I had to sic a [Lesser Mind Flayer] at her."**

"That bad?" I asked.

My [Dryad] wife nods.

"... Don't worry. I got a plan." I assured. "Dart?"

The [Ogre Warchief] approaches me.

**"Need help with anything?"** Dart requested.

"Get the other [Ogres]. I need you all to build something for the troublesome lady."

**One Construction Later...**

"Try not to catch a cold!" I called out to Malty, who was currently tied up on a pole, up 20 feet in the air, her mouth gagged with a ball to prevent her from biting her tongue off as a suicide attempt.

**"Can't believe I never thought of this."** Strelitzia remarked.** "... You sure the fall won't kill her?"**

"At worst, a fractured leg." I remarked. "Come on. Show's about to start."

I then leave behind a few of my lower-level [Summons] and a few [Gnolls] to guard the place, with my wife leaving behind lots of traps disguised as foliage.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen..."

Me, Genbu, Glass, Garou, Fubuki, Rino, and a [Stygian] get on top of Aabidah's back as the other prepare to depart on foot.

"... Happy hunting."

We then take flight into the night sky, and towards the lit civilization ahead.

"... So Nan, any disguises?" Glass asked.

"I got plenty." I replied. "All of them from that pig's manor, guaranteed to make us reasonably pass for rich bastards with way too much money to burn."

We land at a lake nearby the forest adjacent to the road, still undetected.

"Alright, now for the hard part." I remarked. "You change into _this_."

I hand Glass a really poofy-looking velvet-blue ballgown-like dress, much to her shock.

"... Why?" Glass asked about the implications of a fat man owning a _dress_.

"... Don't think too much into it." I remarked. "Come on."

As the lady changed, I then get on my belly and begin crawling like a snake on the ground.

"If you will."

Grimm then shoots himself towards the trees, pulling me into the woods.

"Now..." I surmised. "... Who's dumb enough to stray from the pack?"

I then spot a certain group of richly dressed men, women, and children in a clearing, all of them cleaning up after a party before departing.

Tailgaters. A perfect disguise, and one of them's packing a silver pegleg. Not to mention, all of them sort of remind me of a certain group of merchant slavers in a certain_ French_ manga.

"Good enough."

I then make my move.

"[Spellcraft: Fusion]."

[Shield Prison]+[Dark Aura]+[Shadow Dive]=[Shadow Realm]

The ground beneath the tailgating party turns into a marsh of black void, sinking them like quicksand as they begun to notice.

"Can't have you screaming now." I remarked. "[Silence]."

That shut them up without a fuss. Now, to collect.

I chain myself with the help of Grimm and find myself facing Glass, now in her velvet-blue dress.

"Lookin' good, milady."

I was then met with a heel to my face.

"Learn to take a compliment, lady..." I groaned out through her roughly 7,000-gold black high-heels. "By the way, Grimm, are people inside the [Shadow Realm] either dead or catatonic yet?"

**"In a second."**

He then vomits out their knocked-out bodies, all of them scared out of their minds from the several undead monsters that were inside Grimm's pages, with two of them foaming out of their mouths.

"... Good enough." I stated. "Come on, help me strip em."

**One Awkward Change of Clothes Later...**

"Come on, come on..."

It's kinda hard to walk with a pegleg. Granted, this one was more structurally sound than the one made of wood, but come on, can they afford extra footing?

... Fuck it, plan B.

"Garou." I spoke out. "Can you cut his leg off?"

"You know that they're not dead, right?" Garou pointed out as he changed into his stolen noble's clothes.

I pull out my [Grimoire Heart], and set the kid ablaze with a [Fire Arrow].

"... Just be sure to leave no evidence."

He then hacks off one of men's legs and hands it to me.

"Alright..." I slightly grimaced. "... This is gonna be a little gross."

I then _force_ the pegleg _into_ the severed leg like if I was Mr. Pickles, as everyone else winced at this morbid spectacle.

"Ew ew ew ewewewew..." I winced out as I pushed my pegleg through the marrow. "... Alright, time for the second-grossest part."

I then stick crude iron stakes and nails (which I also got from the hog, at his _basement_; don't ask) into the meat leg, then melting them into the silver pegleg, welding the nails into the silver pegleg.

"... Alright, alright." I heaved out. "... The gross part is over."

I then walk around with my new "leg".

"... Better than walking with a crutch." I remarked. "At least I can walk with two feet."

I then pick up a cane and begin to walk around, practicing to get an even footing.

"Good. That'll do." I remarked as I strutted around like a passable normal person. "Now for my _cosplay_..."

From Grimm's pages, he spat out a rusted suit of armor with a full-face-visored helmet, it's sides having broken horns with a worn red tassel behind the helmet. Apparently, Suzaku managed to nab all of the armor pieces before Barney trashed the basement.

"... Never in my life I thought I got to cosplay as the friggin' _Goblin Slayer_." I remarked as I put on my plate armor disguise. "Eh, whatever works."

I look into the lake, with my face completely obscured thanks to the visor, sans the glowing red eye on my right, but hey, points for accuracy. I guess.

"Alright, everyone ready?" I asked as I draped a worn cloak around my whole armored body, hiding both Grimm and Genbu underneath.

"Let's get this over with..." Glass grumbled out. "... I hate walking in high heels."

"You know that you can float, right?" I pointed out.

"Unless I want to get caught, that is."

"... Fair enough." I sighed out. "Proceed as planned."

We all then walk towards the gates of Zeltoble with me and Glass as a noblewoman/bodyguard duo.

First, we were stopped by a guard, telling us to pay an admission fee of 5,000 Gold per person.

Once paid, I notice the other four stealthily scaling the walls of the building around the city. Good, that means we're in.

"Alright, act natural." I reminded her as I got into my best Troy Baker impression. "Keep an eye out for anything that looks important."

"Like you're the one to talk..." Glass snapped behind her [Fans] that obscured her face. "We both stick out like sore thumbs!"

"Actually, this whole place kinda reminds of the pictures of Mardi Gras." I stated. "As in literally everyone's standing out in the most gaudiest way possible. I mean, look."

It's true, almost everyone with money to burn were all wearing artisan masks and flashy outfits that would surely blind anyone.

"... You might wanna buy a mask." I asked Glass. "Just to fit in a bit more."

With a grumble, she purchases a blue-rose adorned [Pristine Visage] and wears it over her face.

"Lookin' good." I complimented.

This time, she doesn't retaliate.

"... Thanks, I guess." Glass pouted behind her mask.

I would call her Tsundere, but I'm practically skating on thin ice with her. Best to keep it minimal.

"C'mon." I stated as I led her. "Let's buy some info."

**Switching POV: Rino**

"So far, so good." Rino whispered to herself in the shadows.

It was sort of hard to be stealthy in a city glittering like well-polished gold, but no matter how gilded the city may look, every city has their own underbelly where the rats live.

After all, that's how she first learned of Melromarc after the [Spear Hero]'s betrayal. At least Nan treats her like a person of skill rather than an overglorified prostitute.

"... Dammit, Rino. Let it go, already." She muttered to herself.

**"For once, I concur."**

The shadowy companion she was given by Nan then stuck its head out as it swam through the darkness like a literal fish in water.

**"Consider the light our enemy."** The [Stygian] pointed out.** "We still have ways to traverse before we reach the oligarchs ruling this place."**

"Okay, but you know where they are residing?" Rino asked.

**"The shadows are our friends. They literally see all."**

She then sees the [Stygian] dive into the shadows, seeing its own shadows split into a swarm of smaller shadows that crawled through the whole alleyway and out towards the main streets.

**"... We move towards the coliseum."** The [Stygian] stated.** "The gladiator games are about to begin, and the oligarchs are to attend." **

Rino then follows the shadow demon through the alleyway.

She will carry out Nan's vision.

This city, and _all_ of its inhabitants.

... Will _burn_ tonight.

**Switching POV: Garou**

The twins, hiding among the crates and people alike, peek out to see people, both human and demihuman alike all heading towards the coliseum at the center of the city.

It disgusted him, to see both human and demihuman, his own kind, take up on these sort of frivolities that only he thought that the humans were only cruel enough to be capable of doing.

At first, he didn't understand why big bro wanted everyone in living on this continent, but to his credit, it was probably the best option to stick to what he knew best.

But they were all holding chains, attached to them being slaves, both humans and demihumans, all treated as mere _pets_.

... Now he had every reason to kill them all, demihumans be damned.

"They're all _pigs_." Garou hissed out in disgust. "There's no difference between them anymore. They all need to die."

"But first, we need to make sure that they're dead without our aid." Fubuki pointed out. "Anything that looks important, we destroy."

Garou lets out a sigh as they both retreat into the darkness.

"... You're right, sorry." Garou sighed out. "Now that I think about it, I never cared for demihumans to begin with. Just you, big bro, and the rest of the family. Race was never a factor, now was it?"

Fubukis nods.

"Alright, take a deep breath." Garou stated as he activated his [Shadow Dive]. "We're going in deep."

Both he and Fubuki dive into the shadows.

**Switching POV: Glass**

She now sort of gets why Nan hates this place.

Their world is on the verge of complete and total annihilation, and yet, instead of preparing for the fallout, these fat cats were partying and flaunting their riches like if there is a tomorrow!

... At least Nan, despite his insanity, was more suited to survive in these dire times, or at least, was more aware of the bigger picture.

That, and the fact that she's a [Phantom], she herself had some awareness of people's souls.

_"... The whole place is a rancid mix of opulent carelessness from these nouveau riche and the bitter resignation from below."_ Glass thought to herself._ "Thank god I have a mask on..." _

"... I got refreshments." Her "bodyguard" addressed in a gruff tone while carrying two bags of caramel corn around his arms.

"Really?" Glass remarked.

"... C'mon, I said 'act natural'." "Nan" groaned out in his normal voice.

"Please don't tell you came here for the food." Glass dryly remarked.

"Four days, milady." Nan grunted out back in his gruff accent. "Also, I've seen what you eat at the mess hall. You hate sweet things."

Glass lets out a groan.

Suddenly, the crowd around them began to flow elsewhere.

"Oh!" A nobleman bumped into them. "Pardon me, but do keep the crowd moving!"

Both were then thrusted into the main arena's seats, filling up the seats crammed into the middle.

_"... Oh bugger all."_ Glass groaned internally._ "We're trapped."_

"Well, might as well enjoy the show, milady." Nan stated as he kept up his facade.

But between the facade's cracks, Nan's real face was seen by Glass.

"... This hurts me too."

**Switching POV: Rino**

"... So that's them." Rino remarked to herself as she and her [Stygian] peered above the crack of the ceiling.

Five well-dressed and well-fed merchants were seated, each attended by their own servants, each guarded by their own paid mercenary.

**"This will be an arduous task."** The [Stygian] analysed.** "Five sellswords, all leveling around 60, and each of them carrying equipment that any adventurer worth their salt would probably kill for."**

"Not to mention, the room itself is rather small, so it's best not to risk it unless we want this to be a suicide run." Rino sighed out.

**"Isolate them one by one?"**

"For the best."

The two then leave their viewing post, leaving behind a piece of [Stygian] as lookout.

**Switching POV: Fubuki**

The twins peer outside, seeing that the only ones left outside are guards and adventurers paid as guards.

"Alright, here's what we'll do." Garou stated. "We take em out, one by one. Make sure no one sees us, and only go for the kill either the moment they're alone, or if they're yawning."

"They seem like easy enough pickings..." Fubuki remarked. "Why the caution?"

"There's only two of us and way too many of them." Garou pointed out. "Sure, they're all level 40-50 average, but we don't want to start a fire just yet."

The twins then see a pair of young adventurers sitting by the crate next to the carriage that the two were under.

"*Yawn* Fucking shite, dude." A male [Reaver] yawned out. "Why the hell did we take this job again?"

"It pays well enough, at least." A female [Magus] pointed out as she leaned against a barrel. "These merchants are willing to pay us a small fortune just to sit around and do nothing, so why complain?"

"I know, I know..." The male adventurer remarked. "... But it ain't as fun fighting alongside the [Heroes] in their own [Waves]... God, I wish I was there, fighting to save the world."

"I really think you should count your blessings." The female adventurer pointed out. "Apparently, there have been rumors that one of the summoned [Heroes] went completely rouge and is now tearing up the whole kingdom."

"Is it the [Shield Hero]?" The [Reaver] asked. "If so, good riddance."

"No." The magic-user replied. "Apparently, it's the [Tome Hero]. Haven't you seen the bounties!?"

"... Oh, you mean the lunatic on the poster missing about a half of his face and flipping us off?" The male adventurer remarked. "Wait, he used to be a [Hero]?"

"Now apparently a [Tome Fallen]." The [Magus] replied. "Apparently, he left the castle on the first day of his arrival, killed a bunch of castle guards, burned down several villages and nearly the entirety of Melromarc's capital city, stealing all of the gold in its coffers, and letting loose a lot of convicts held in the castle dungeons."

"Holy shit, dude..." The male gawked out.

"That's not all, apparently." The female stated. "Allegedly, he has amassed an entire army of demihumans, monsters, undead, foreign nobility, those unknowns that appeared during the Third [Wave], and hell, I heard some say that he's tamed a [Dragon]."

"S-Shite, man." The male gawked out. "Is he trying to start a bloody war or something!?"

"He did." The [Magus] answered. "I heard that he's just recently burned down a nobleman's castle, looted it bare, and turned the grounds around it into a massive ice castle. Then after that, I heard the [Three Cardinal Heroes] tried to stop him, but not only he trounced their asses and let them live in humiliation, but he also blew up an entire mountain off the map in the middle of it."

"... You sure those aren't just exaggerated rumors?" The [Reaver] asked. "I mean, surely, no one's that powerful..."

"Ugh... They covered it in the guild's message board that the topography guild had to _redraw_ the entire map of Melromarc because of it." The [Magus] pointed out. "Also, did you forget that he's an ex-[Hero]?"

"... Ah, that makes more sense." The [Reaver] remarked as he took out a flask and drank from it.

"Are you really drinking on the job?" The [Magus] asked in consternation.

"Hey, 5 o'clock was 6 hours ago." He remarked with a drunken blush. "And it's not like there's anyone else but us around here."

"You might wanna check again, pal."

Garou's [Katar] blades burst out of the [Reaver]'s chest.

The [Magus] tries to sound the alarm, but Fubuki ices her hands and feet before knocking her out with her [Twilight Hunter's Gunstaff] and a swift kick to her neck.

"Hide the bodies, hurry."

Garou then stuffs the dead body into the barrel before he snapped the [Magus]'s neck and throwing her underneath the carriage.

"... Coast is clear." Fubuki stated as she peered around the corner for eyewitnesses.

"Good." Garou stated. "Keep moving. We need to cover more ground."

He then chips on one of the carriage's wheel's axel with his bare fists, damaging the carriage's structural stability for later down the line.

"Let's go." He stated as both Garou and herself dove back into the shadows.

**Switching POV: Nan**

... Okay, putting up with the whole "stoic bodyguard" act is starting to take a toll on my sanity.

Not only me and Glass subjected ourselves to this macabre festivity of utmost hedonism, but the whole "entertainment" itself wasn't even worth a single piece that we gave at the gate.

You'd expect that in a gladiatorial game, you'd expect there be elements of suspense or any form of decent showmanship. Like for instance, different kinds of gladiators facing different kinds of monsters, a 45-55 odds of victory-defeat ratio per match, keep the bloodbath interesting, at least, if you want to give a good show.

But no. All we saw were children.

A bunch of _children_, both human and demihuman alike, being _raped_.

Raped, by a generic-ass tentacle monster that would be something out of a badly-written hentai, said tentacle monster, raping _children_.

Even worse? Due to the fact that I have been around monster as companions long enough to somewhat communicating with them on an instinctual level, I was able to tell that so-called hentai-monster wasn't doing this willingly.

... In fact, upon closer inspection, I noticed that some of its parts were reminiscent of [Werebeasts], then [Harpies], then [Salamanders], and a [Lesser Mind Flayer].

WHAT KIND OF A SICK FUCK DO YOU HAVE TO BE TO SUBJECT THAT _ABOMINATION_ TO ETERNAL TORTURE!?

... I tried. I honestly tried. I really did.

Every time. Every damn time that I thought that my opinion on humanity would've been proven invalid, another display shows up and validates it.

I honestly wished it hadn't come to this. I just assumed that these people's behaviors were just due to them being products of their environment. With that, if I've made enough of an influence, I thought I can somewhat educate them to be better people in future generation.

... But really, I'm actually _glad_ that I wasn't proven wrong.

They _weren't_ even people anymore. Just infections. Tumors. Pathogens.

... A _fucking_ plague upon my own sanity.

I then saw Glass trying to leave her seat, with her swallowing her own vomit to avoid detection beneath her facade.

Knowing the situation, I did my part, and make a distraction.

"Oh, sorry!" I called out as I dropped my caramel corn all over the seatings.

... None of them noticed. They're all too engaged in the "festivities". Good.

"Genbu!"

I grab Glass's hand...

... As the whole world around us ground to a _complete_ halt.

"... What the hell?" Glass remarked.

"No time to explain!" I replied. "Come on!"

I pull her through the frozen crowds, and make a break for the exit.

"What's going on?" Glass asked again.

"Stopped time! Genbu's pocketwatch! We're accelerating our plans!" I gave her the abridged explanation. "We've got one minute!"

And to my ever-so-lucky streak, I spot the underground entryway.

"Perfect!" I remarked as I grinned "C'mon!"

My grin becomes more _manic_.

Finally, it's time we begin administering the cure upon this diseased world.

"... We got a city to _burn_."

**Switching POV: Byakko**

"And how many does that make?" Byakko asked the other after he pulled out his [Cleric's Cane] from some faceless goon's skull that he'd bludgeoned deep into.

"Don't care." Chi remarked out loud as he shot another in the head. "They all bleed and bitch the same, as always."

"I stopped after 45." Beta pointed out as she smashed her bludgeon into a screaming female [Summoner]'s _remaining_ kneecap. "They don't learn. At all."

"I'm at 123!" Alpha cheerly declared before turning her head to find a runner. "Make that 124!"

She throws her [Death Scythe] at the fleeing mercenary, the curved blade skewering through the runner's neck, and upon sticking the landing, Alpha dashes towards her prey, grabs the glave's shaft, and pushes the [Death Scythe] down thorough his torso, splitting him down the midsection, leaving him in a bloody mess.

_"Hmm, it seems that the [Perfected Homunculus] are now each developing their own personalities from master."_ Byakko analyzed._ "Alpha has the bloodlust, Beta has the cold-hard rationale, and Chi seems to represent the master's deadpan nature."_

He then began wondering if he himself was developing a branch of personality based off his new master, but for the artificial life of him, he honestly _couldn't give a crap-_

"... Oh, that might explain a few things." Byakko mused to himself as he threw another [Medic'a Scalpel] towards an [Assassin] that tried to cheap-shot him from the treetops. "... _Amateurs_. All of them."

He'd learned that he's inherited his master's sense of contempt. Maybe that's why he enjoyed his vacation more than he intentionally did.

The concept of developing an ego is rather... in his master's words, _amusing_.

"Coast is clear-waitaminute."

Another gunshot followed up by Chi unloading his entire clip onto a downed [Adventurer] was heard from the thrushes.

"... Now the coast is clear." Chi remarked as he inserted another clip filled with the fallen [Adventurer]'s blood.

"Oh, so that's how the gun functions." Beta remarked as she wiped the blood off of her [Thunder Coil Mace] with a dead [Hermit]'s white cloak.

"I wonder how the others are doing..." Alpha mused as he licked on a set of loose entrails.

**Switching POV: Wyndia**

"SHE'S A FUCKING MONSTER-"

The adventurer's cries of horror were cut off by Wyndia's [Dragoon's Pike] piercing out of his chest, with the piece of his heart nailed at the tip.

"AHAHAHAHA!" Wyndia triumphantly _howled_ in laughter. "WHAT'S WRONG, YOU FUCKING PANSIES!? HAD ENOUGH!?"

She then lets out a euphoric sigh before plopping her rump onto the forest floor as they all ran for their lives, dropping their weapons to lighten their load.

For Wyndia, it was utterly hilarious.

About several months prior, she was living out her life with her [Dragon Emperor] father after her original parents died during the First [Save], and after that [Sword Hero] jagoff tried to kill her adoptive father, but her _savior_, Nan the [Tome Fallen], saved her, not only giving her a third chance in life, but also an adoptive _mother_.

... Granted, Yaelia herself wasn't even alive, but hey, _semantics_.

But before she can think about it any further, several sounds of flesh being impaled and screams of agony were heard from a distance.

"Oh, mother!" Wyndia greeted the [Wyrmlich Empress] emerging from through the trees. "The runners, are they all dead?"

The skeletal dragon nods.

"Alright!" She cheered out. "Now what do we do? Can I _eat_ em?"

Yaelia shakes her head.

"Oh come on! You too?" Wyndia complained. "But it's not like you can't eat them yourself-"

Yaelia then stamps one of her forelegs onto the ground, emitting a dark aura around her, causing the corpses to start twitching and stand up on their own.

"...Oh, right." Wyndia pounded her balled-up hand on top of her open palm. "Mom can create more undead from her authority as an undead [Empress]."

Now normally, if it were any other situation, she would've been flailing at the reanimated corpses.

But due to the fact that she herself has been in company with the undead aside from her adoptive mother, she sort of gotten used to dead bodies shambling about on their own.

... She might have a problem. But she honestly doesn't care.

As soon as Nan rips the entire world a new one, her "problem" will no longer be considered a problem.

... Although her penchant for bloodlust and her desire to eat humans might be an issue later down the line, and hindsight, now realizing that she herself was now familiar with undead as members of her family, yeah, she needs to talk to someone.

... Lest she starts eating rotting flesh on her own volition.

"... Eh, might as well take my mind off of it." Wyndia remarked as the newly-branded undead began digging into the earth. "By that, I mean there's plenty to go around..."

**Switching POV: Theresa Alexandrite**

... She honestly can't believe that Nan did this to L'Arc.

I mean, sure, he has a valid point on their hypocritical and selfish methods of saving their world, but honestly, can they at least get some slack? It's not like if they knew that the goddess they've worshipped turned out to be the cause behind all this tragedy!

... It may be bias, but she honestly believes that L'Arc doesn't deserve this. Sure, he's reckless and is prone to get into fights ever since they were kids, but seeing him so... _out of it_?

She felt as if her _own world_ was being torn asunder.

... But then again, considering the kind of person Nan is, tearing things down seems to be the only thing he's good at.

It helped, sure, but...

... Actually, now that she thinks about it, literally no one's in any position to argue. At least Nan's taking the initiative to fix the bigger issue.

Doesn't mean that she herself enjoyed killing innocents, despite her previous indirect participation in wholesale massacre of this world.

"... L'Arc?" Theresa asked her companion.

He doesn't respond.

"... L'Arc?" Theresa asked L'Arc once more as she reached her hand out. "... C'mon, just talk to me already-"

Her hand was swatted away by him.

"... Don't touch me." L'Arc murmured out. "... I don't deserve it."

"Wait, why?" Theresa asked.

L'Arc faces Theresa, his eyes no longer having that spark that it used to have.

"... I killed innocents." L'Arc heaved out in horror. "I killed countless innocents, all the while thinking that I was a [Hero], when I'm no better than a common thug."

"But you didn't know! None of us did!" Theresa argued. "If anything, I'm just as guilty as you are-"

"No, Theresa." L'Arc retorted. "No you're not."

Theresa's heart begin to feel aching steadily more and more with each passing heartbeat.

"... Why?" She asked.

"... I _enjoyed_ it. Every_ moment_." L'Arc stated. "All this time, I _enjoyed_ murdering people. All under some delusion thinking that I'm some kind of [Hero]. Theresa, you on the other hand, only saw murder as a grim necessity, when in reality, I dragged you into the world that you have no place in."

"... You're wrong, L'Arc." Theresa retorted. "You didn't drag me into anything. I followed you, out of my own volition."

L'Arc's head droops further downward.

"... You don't have to follow me anymore." L'Arc stated. "Now that we all know that our initial cause was a flat-out lie, there's no reason for you to keep killing anymore."

"... Just what are you saying?" Theresa asked.

"... I'm _breaking up_ with you." L'Arc stated. "It's for your own good, Theresa. I love you so much that I don't want you to end up becoming a monster like me-"

"NO!"

Theresa threw herself onto L'Arc, coiling her arms around his waist, her tears soaking his chest.

"DON'T ABANDON YOURSELF LIKE THIS, L'ARC!" Theresa cried out. "I DON'T CARE IF I BECOME A MONSTER! I DON'T CARE IF I END UP AS A DEMON THAT YOU CLAIM YOURSELF TO BE! I LOVE YOU, L'ARC BERG! AND I CANNOT BEAR MYSELF TO SEE YOU SUFFER ALONE!"

Theresa, with her teary eyes, looks up towards L'Arc's face.

"... If you're going to suffer, then let me do it too." Theresa begged desperately. "I'm already going crazy just from seeing yourself beat yourself like this, but please... don't leave me alone. After all, we got friends waiting for us at the other side, right? The least we can do is come back to them, _together_."

"No need to rush, you two."

Behind her, a smiling [Myrmidon] loomed over them.

"GONNA BE A MILLIONAIRE WHEN I TAKE YOUR HEADS!" He cackled out as he swung down his [Steel Glaive] towards them.

But before anything could happen, a glowing arrowhead pierces out of his throat, before letting out a hiss.

"... Wha-"

Then a red cord ties itself around the [Myrmidon]'s neck before he was suspended up into the air like a makeshift noose.

From the foliage, Suzaku, covered head to toe in blood and giblets, emerged with his [Heat Dart]'s cord wrapped around his hand.

"If you two lovebirds are done making out, then I suggest getting back to killing." Suzaku pointed out as he tugged onto the cord around his hand, causing the [Myrmidon]'s strung-up neck to_ snap_. "Oh, and for the blood and guts all over me, big sis Seiryu kinda splattered some asshole's guts all over me after smacking him too hard. Can't blame her, this shit's _fun_."

Theresa blinks incredulously as she sees the red-winged youth walks back to where he came from.

_"... I want to say that I regret my __decision, but something tells me that the ship has already sailed."_

Do or die, as before, and as always been.

For now, the relationship between her and L'Arc was now on "It's Complicated" range. Sociopathy aside, surely they can amend their relationship. Right?

... Right?

**Switching POV: Beluokas, The Slave Trader**

Another night, another day of business, as usual.

Sure, he's back home with the rest of his clan, but while they were enjoying themselves in the festivities above, he considered himself a bit of a workaholic of the clan.

Sure, they're grateful for all the profits that he've raked in from their business, but even then, some considered himself an oddball of the family.

Granted, already working in the human and demihuman trafficking business is far from normal, but to be fair, some of his own family members are demihumans, with himself being a closet-half owl-demihuman himself, but his own reasons for hiding his real race is not out of shame or anything. It was to keep a neutral front, since, for the record, his family imports both demihumans and humans alike.

As long as their family still remains afloat, it's nothing personal. And hey, the previous patriarch himself established a non-racism code into their family in order to keep an air of "neutral professionalism".

... It worked, for the most part. I mean, for him, keeping a certain distance from his merchandise and himself did wonders for bringing in a profit.

Guess being a technical sociopath does have its perks.

_"... Eh, another day, another profit."_ Beluokas thought to himself._ "With that said, one thing does concern me, though."_

The [Tome Fallen].

His first customer upon his arrival at Melromarc, an odd sort of person. Plagued with fear and confusion, yet upon looking into his eyes, he was a man driven by conviction for a great change.

A custom long ago did remark that change can either be good or bad, but it's never certain.

By "never certain", no one was clearly expecting for him to go on a deranged warpath against the entire kingdom of Melromarc.

A path laden with blood, flames, and utter terror. The [Tome Fallen] sort of became a... shall he daresay, a sort of a_ boogeymen's tale_.

Idol Rabier, as much of a generous and a golden goose of a customer he is, even among the most "dedicated" of slavers, he was unbearable do deal with at times.

Sure, he's just as sadistic as any other red-blooded slave owner would be, but the man himself was also very, very, very religious in the faith of the [Three Heroes]. And not to mention, even before Beloukas adhered to the whole "neutral professionalism" policy, he never questioned or pressed anyone's religion, whether slave or prospect master.

But also granted, this was after the infamous (and only) Sky Pirate Palomar raided his manor and kidnapped his daughter and killed his wife right in front of him, but the man seems to be a _special_ kind of a sadist.

And by that, he had a really bad mix of hypocrisy and zeal for his religion, that made him come across as borderline unlikeable to the rest of the Melromarcian Royal Court, to the point where the Crown sent him to the province near the borders to keep him out of sight, but still, even Beloukas knows that you can't keep a man down for long.

... So when news of his entire province being set ablaze, trampled, and _frozen over_ like the Northern Frigid Wastes with all of its inhabitants either fleeing for their lives, immolated, or devoured whole, the reception was... shall he say, "horrified, but _expected_".

The message was clear: anyone associated with slaves, whether owners, or traders, are going to _die_.

So ever the savvy person he is, Beloukas decides to make this outing his_ final job_. After that, retire, and wash his hands of this whole affair after the fact.

Granted, others were doing the same, with the rest that elected to keep going increasing their traffic to compensate for the bodyguards that they've hired, so essentially, it's a bit of a frightening time to be alive as a slave trader.

"... Ugh, I need a drink."

Beloukas stands up from his chair and walks out of his improv-study surrounded by caged monsters, demihumans, and humans alike...

... Only to be met with a fully-armored figure, pointing down a gun barrel at his face, and a single glowing red dot where a human's eye should be at.

**"Hello there." **The armored man spoke out in a deep and commanding voice. **"... May I do business with you before you ****_permanently_ retire?"**

... Even with the effort of the disguise, Beloukas knew that the man standing before him was the [Tome Fallen].

The boogeyman was has now come deliver _him_.

Nevertheless, he tried to keep a cool head. After all, he had prided himself as such, so the least he can do is that he goes out on his terms.

"... What do you require, dear sir?" Beloukas asked.

**"Just a small favor." **The armored man asked as he pulled back the gun's hammer. **"Tell me how to remove [Slave Crests]."**

"You know, if you wanted a refund, you could've at least brought the two of them-"

The armored man presses his barrel against his forehead.

**"Don't get smartass on me."** The armored man pressed on.** "Tell me, or I assure you, I will not hold myself accountable for my recklessness."**

Beloukas sighs out.

"... This way."

The slaver then leads his guest into his study.

"Here's the concoction-"

**"The ingredients."** The armored man stated.** "Then the concoctions. All of them."**

"Hmph, you're serious about this, aren't you?" Beloukas pointed out. "Sure, you can cripple the entire business and hell, burn this whole city state to the ground, but may I remind you where you stand? Should you continue down this path, then the whole world will be your enemy. Sure, you and your monsters will probably tear down this entire world, and even the four great kingdoms, but I assure you, you will be answered for."

He then hands the armored man the list of ingredients and the bottle of the antagonist

**"The keys. All of them."**

... He was leaving no stone unturned. If anything, Beloukas sort of admires his resolve to push forth.

He then hands him an entire ring of keys, which the man then hangs around his waist.

"... I've done all I can, [Tome Fallen]." Beloukas confessed. "After this job, I'm retiring for good. Wash my hands of this business, and well, try and find some semblance of solace in this world blinded by religion, idiotic politicians, and ingrates who solely rely on faith or gold to get by in this mad world. Hmph, come to think of it, maybe that's why you've went the way you went instead of the path of a [Hero]. If that's the case, then know that I'm rooting for you on the sidelines."

"... About that."

*SLURK*

Behind him, a cloaked woman wearing a festive mask stabbed him in the back.

The "woman" removes her mask, revealing the [Tome Fallen]'s manically grinning half-face beneath the mask.

... Then who was that armored man, then?

"Ah ah ah, no touchy."

The dirk's blade drives _deeper_ into his spine.

"No spoilers."

The blades dislodges, but Beloukas doesn't bleed out.

... Rather, his body was doing the exact opposite, turning himself into massive _tumor_.

He tried to scream, but only one thing came out of his mouth.

"... Please, at let me tell you my name!" He begged.

"Alright, who are you, then?" The crossdressing [Tome Fallen] asked in a half-mocking tone.

"M-MY NAME IS-"

The crossdressing [Tome Fallen] then snatches the gun from the armored man before pointing it at his face.

"Bored."

***BANG***

***SPLAT***

***THUD***

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

"And that, is how you do a _proper_ double-cross."

The bodyguard removes his helmet, revealing a raven-haired woman's face underneath.

"You're unbelievable, Nan." Glass pointed out as she took off the rusted armor. "First time-stopping, and now, _crossdressing_? Especially_ my_ disguise?"

"Hey, at least I ain't the one bitching about wearing high-heels. And I wore it while wearing a pegleg. Plus, we did change while no one was looking during the time stop." I pointed out as I tossed off the "wig" that I scalped off of some random guard's head (he had beautiful raven-colored locks, don't judge). "... Hm, so this is what it feels like wearing a dress."

I then look at her as I flipped around the dress's skirt.

"... You think I can pull off this kind of look?" I asked while smiling sheepishly.

"Not in a million years." Glass deadpanned. "I want my dress back."

"Ha! Knew you'd liked it-"

Glass then kicks me on my leg stump before turning away from my collapsed self in a huff.

"... A little help?" I begged. "And FTR, you don't have to wear that dress anymore."

I then take out her [Kimono of Mourning] from Grimm's pages.

"... Fine." She sourly stated. "You better not look."

"Don't plan to." I remarked as I crawled away elsewhere. "I don't adhere to double standards if I can help it."

**One Change of Clothes Later...**

"... Okay, but why the armor?" Glass asked as she tightened her obi.

"Dunno." I remarked as I furled my cloak over my new rusted armor. "Maybe got tired of eating arrows and knives for breakfast. Maybe I just find this armor really cool and practical. But honestly, it's really the fact that I don't expect this layer of protection to last long, so hey, might as well take what I can get, right?"

Glass rolls her eyes.

"... You know that me killing the man was nothing personal, right?" I pointed out. "I'm simply adhering to my whole 'leave no witnesses' criteria."

"He's a slaver, he's not going to be missed." Glass pointed out. "That, and well, your gunshot woke them up."

... Oh right, thought about what I came here for.

"Can you let them out?" I asked Glass. "... You're the one with the keys, after all."

"Alright, alright, geez."

She then begins letting out the slaves as I got up to the nearest soapbox to make a speech to the slaves.

"... Ahem."

As I cleared my throat, the freed slaves all gathered before me, with Glass herself keeping watch.

"... Now you may be wondering: 'Why did a crossdressing manic free you all?' Well, allow me to introduce myself." I began. "To wit, I am Nan Hon-Jah, currently [Tome Fallen], the Dark Architect, the guy who kidnapped the eldest Princess of Melromarc, the future Demon King of this utterly miserable world, and the only one around here who seems to have enough balls to stick it to the man."

They all looked at me in confusion.

"Allow me to get a few things out of the way." I continued. "Yes, I've freed you, but no, that doesn't mean I'll let you run free, yet. As soon as you all run out there, a bunch sellswords will not hesitate to butcher you all like cattle, and even though some may be willing to work for me at an upfront price, after... seeing the frivolities outside, I've concluded that they're not worth my time, and henceforth, expendable. Now, you may also be thinking that I can easily lead the charge towards your liberation, but while, yes, I will, but it must be all done _surgically_."

Again, they all looked at me in confusion.

"As of now, my companions are currently taking methodical steps to ensure not only your liberation, but also the complete and utter destruction of this city-state of vice and greed." I declared. "As soon as the threshold has been passed, we not only charge out here, but we also put the entire city to torch, along with the people living in it. First, the Oligarchs running this little pop stand, then the sellswords acting as their fangs, and finally, the slavers that took away your rights, your identities, your collective dignities, and the ones that started off this whole trend of_ living property profiteering_, for lack of a better and _politically-correct_ term. All of them, will die, by our hands."

They then began to look more... _interested_, in what I'm offering.

"And don't think your homes will ever accept you back just because you're freed." I pointed out the inconvenient truth. "Your homes abandoned you to your fate, not regarding the individual within the kingdom, as long as the so-called 'collective' remains intact, as evidenced in why they didn't rescue you with their armies if they actually cared for you in the first place. For as long as they get slaves of their own, they will consider you dead people walking, and they've probably informed your rest of kin! The rest of the world has spat onto your very existence, reducing all of you as mere cogs to the _machine for pigs_ that run this utter madness and lies known and_ defined_ as _society_!"

From the corner of my eye, I spot the elevator carrying the raped kids back down, the doors opening, and the handler trying to make a run for it upon spotting me.

"SO YOU KNOW WHAT!?"

I fire my [Grimoire Heart], splattering his whole head like an overinflated pimple with [Groundshatter Pellets].

**"FUCK, _ALL OF THEM_!"** I roared out, unleashing my collected rage for the past several minutes as my right eye glowed _red_ as my _rage_. **"FUCK THIS CITY OF GLITTER AND GOLD THAT IS GILDED IN UTTER LIES! FUCK THE FOUR KINGDOMS THAT HAS ABANDONED YOU ALL! FUCK THE INSTITUTION THAT ALLOWS SUCH ATROCITIES TO HAPPEN IN THE FIRST PLACE! FUCK THE SYSTEM THAT STRIPPED YOU ALL OF WHO YOU ARE! FUCK THE FARCE KNOWN AS PEACE BUILT UPON YOUR TRAMPLED DIGNITIES! FUCK ALL OF THOSE CAVIAR-EATING FAT CATS THAT RUINED ALL OF US! FUCK THEIR GOLD THAT CORRUPTED THE CONCEPT OF GOODNESS IN OUR HEARTS! FUCK THEIR BUSINESSES PREYING UPON THE INDIVIDUAL FOR SIMPLY LIVING OUT OUR LIVES! THEIR TIME IS OVER! IT'S OUR TIME TO TAKE BACK THIS WORLD FROM THEM! IT'S TIME TO WAKE THIS WHOLE WORLD FROM ITS DREAMS OF DELUSION, AND SHOW THE UTTER NIGHTMARE THAT IS REALITY! THE REALITY! THE TERROR! THAT IS STEMMED FROM US BEING SHUNNED INTO THE DARKNESS THAT HAS CONDEMNED US ALL INTO UTTER DESPAIR! LET'S BURN THIS ROTTEN WORLD TO THE GROUND, STARTING FROM THIS EPICENTER OF SIN!"  
**

All of them now roar out, fists raised into air.

"That's right!" One of them cried out. "They had it good for long enough!"

"Let's kill them all!" Another shouted.

"Death to the nobles that condemned us!" The group chanted.

**"Death to our homes that has abandoned us!" **They all chanted.

**"DEATH TO THE WORLD THAT HAS FORSAKEN US!" **They _roared_ out in unison. **"DAMNATION TO THE SOCIETY OF INJUSTICE AND CORRUPTION!"**

**"DEATH! DEATH! DEATH! DEATH!" **They all chanted in newfound fervor. **"****DEATH TO THIS WORLD! DEATH TO ALL WHO ARE COMPLACENT IN OUR SUFFERING! DEATH TO THE KINGDOMS THAT HAS ABANDONED! DEATH TO ALL THAT IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL!****"**

**"SO WHO'S WITH ME!?"** I roared out.** "WHO READY TO _RAGE_ FOR A NEW WORLD!? WHO'S READY TO RIP THIS SHITHOLE OF A COUNTRY A NEW ONE!? WHO'S READY TO KICK SOME ASS IN THE NAME OF OUR FUTURE WHERE THESE PIGS ARE SETTING THEIR FEET NO LONGER UNTO THIS EARTH!?"**

**"KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!" **All roared out in response. **"KILL THE TYRANNICAL LEADERS! KILL THE IGNORANT SHEEP! KILL THE COMPLAINT ONES! KILL ALL WHO DARE GET IN OUR WAY!" **

I simply smile.

**"... Then I suggest all of you grabbing something sharp as you all make your way."** I stated.** "Oh and, before we begin..."**

I then toss a sack of gold to Glass.

**"Use that to pay off any sellsword that you come by as... promising." **I stated. **"Strength in numbers, remember?"**

"... You crazy bastard." Glass snickered out. "If it weren't for the fact that you were completely bonkers, then I would've _fucked_ your brains out..."

**"What was that?"**

"Nothing!" She denied.

... Breakfast's gonna be awkward, isn't?

**"Alright, now for the next step." **

I stab the slaver's bloated and misshapen corpse along with the handler's to [Invoke] their "inner demons".

End result? An owl [Kenku] and a [Flyman].

**"Glass, can you hand me the keys? Need the other monsters on my side for my rampage."**

I catch the ring of keys and began unlocking the cages myself.

All of them beg for me to take them. I mean, _all_ of them.

End result?

3 [Werelions], a dehydrated (but no less threatening) [Kelpie], several [Lizardmen], 10 [Minotaurs], a [Trident]-wielding [Naga], too many [Bicorns], 14 [Werebears], 31 [Trolls], and to top it all off, a [Golem] made of [Admantium].

Collectively known as, the [Berserk Corps], my new [Legion].

**"... Oh, and one last thing." **I addressed to the freed slaves arming themselves with sharp objects. **"As soon as I reach top floor, I better expect all of you to be outside."**

Glass takes the hint and begins evacuating everyone out of the underground.

"EVERYONE! HURRY!" Glass barked out.

**"Genbu."**

**"Ya need something, lad?"**

**"... Accompany her, oh and, don't drink."**

The [Gremlin] shrugs before taking off as I headed to the elevator as Glass led the charge of the freed slaves-no.

... Leading the [Blood-Oath Zealots], her new [Legion].

... Only one problem as soon as I enter, though.

**"... Okay, how do I work this crap?"**

**Switching POV: Rino**

"What's taking so long?" One of the oligarchs complained out loud. "Where the bloody hell's the next act?"

Rino returns to her old hiding spot above the seats of the oligarchs, only to find them complaining and bemoaning at their boredom.

"Somebody call the staff." The other spoke out. "If its technical difficulties with the coliseum's mechanics, then send the handymen to fix it!"

"Ugh, forget this." One of the oligarchs remarked. "I'll be at the restroom. Hopefully it'll come back as planned as soon as I get back. Servant! Keep my seat warm."

The fat man was then escorted out of the podium with two bodyguards flanking him.

**"Let us tail him." **The [Stygian] stated.

The two then tail the three people walking down the halls above the coliseum's rafters.

The two then spot the oligarch going into the restroom, the doors being guarded by the bodyguards.

"So..." Rino asked the demon. "... How do we take em out in one blow?"

The [Stygian]'s shadowy arm then morphs into a sharpened point.

**"Aim for their necks."**

The demon jumps into one of their mouths as a black blob, with Rino unsheathing her [Spark Dagger] as she followed down, lodging the blade into his spine from his rear nape, completely paralyzing all of his motor functions being fried from the electrical shocks emitting from the blade.

The [Stygian], meanwhile, simply lets his victim asphyxiate on itself stuck inside his _trachea_.

"C'mon, we'er wasting time."

The bodyguard's neck was then slit open from the inside, with the [Stygian] cutting itself out of the man's throat before crawling out completely spotless.

"C'mon." Rino stated as she dragged the two bodies by their ankles, we still need to hide the bodies elsewhere-"

The door opens next to them, with the oligarch seeing the two assailants dragging two of his dead bodyguards by their ankles.

"..."

**"..."**

"..."

**"... GET HIM!"**

Both Rino and the [Styigan] pounce unto the fat fuck back into the bathroom, driving their blades through his blubbery neck and exsanguinate and tase him until he stops living entirely.

"... Okay, one down." Rino sighed out as she wiped the blood off of her face. "Now where to put the bodies..."

She then spots the bathroom stalls next to her.

"... Can you chop them up into small pieces and stuff em down the chamberpot?" Rino asked the [Stygian].

**"Consider it done."**

The [Stygian] then crawls into one of the bodies, puppets its into one of the corpses, snakes itself into the chamberpot's opening, and multiple sharpened points of shadows burst out of the cadaver before it shreds its meat-shell with friction of the blades circulating inside.

**"One down." **The [Stygian] remarked. **"Now I request the other two, at the same time."**

Rino wonders why and when did she stop vomiting at the sight of human bodies being ground up to paste right in front of her.

"HEY! I SPOTTED ONE OF THEM-"

The supposed guard was then cut off by the sounds him being slashed into mincemeat.

Rino draws her bow, only to run into Glass, leading a company of freed slaves.

"What's going on?" Glass asked.

"Oh nothing much, just hiding the body." Rino remarked. "What about you and your new friends?"

"Fighting our way out of this godforsaken place." Glass answered. "Also, plans accelerated again. Nan's going to blow this place to kingdom come."

"... Why am I not surprised?" Rino asked.

"Desensitization is weird." Glass remarked. "I would say don't question it..."

She turns around, opens her fan, and waves out an array of wind blades that shredded the opposition behind her.

"... But we have more pressing matters at hand." Glass stated.

In front of them, several well-armed hired mercenaries stood in their way, ready to charge.

"Here they come-"

***click***

***FWOOSH***

In front of them, a massive jet of blue-colored flames spewed out towards the charging sellswords, only leaving behind their equipment and clothes.

Below their knees, Genbu closed his dragon-shaped lighter shut before turning towards the two ladies.

**"... You're welcome."** Genbu stated. **"What are you lot waiting for? Free gear!"**

The slaves then arm themselves with the equipment of the fallen sellswords.

"Can you do that again?" Glass asked the [Gremlin].

**"Nah, only once a day."** Genbu replied as he drew out his [Silver Short Sword]. **"Might as well kill our way out the old-fashioned way."**

"I'll cover." Rino stated as she drew out her bow.

**"The bodies have been hid away, Rino."** [Stygian] stated as the demon came out of the bathroom. **"Let us continue elsewhere."**

The two joint groups than made their mad dash out of the soon-to-be-incinerated coliseum.

**Switching POV: Garou**

"... Just what the hell is that?"

Before the twins, there lied a massive ovular-shaped balloon-like contraption, with four pairs of metal cylinders and a comically-small gondola beneath the dull-gray ovular sphere with the golden letters labeling this... thing, the _Niflheim_.

... Whatever this _Niflheim_ was, Garou knew that he couldn't simply light that thing on fire and be done with it. If anything, it was too big to be burnt down, making it futile to act as a distraction.

"... I have a better idea." Fubuki pointed out. "If we can't destroy it, why don't we _steal_ it?"

"One problem." Garou pointed out. "Look around."

There were only bright patches of light shining over the area surrounding the weird-looking ship, and combined with all of the guards carrying unknown [Musket] weapons, it's clear that just charging in will get them killed.

That, and unlike the other guards they've dealt before, these guards were more... professional. No visible signs of fatigue in their eyes, nor their posture were showing any hints of slacking.

A straight-up fight was suicide, and sneaking around was a nigh-impossibility.

... But as they've learned throughout their journey, when faced with two impossible options, then there's always a third, _exploitable_, option.

"If we can neither force nor sneak our way in..."

Fubuki smiles in response.

"... Then we'll do both."

Both Garou and Fubuki combine their skills and magic, focusing their respective skills of [Shadow Dive] and [Freeze Bolt] into a singular point at Fubuki's [Twilight Hunter's Gunstaff].

"EAT THIS!" They both shouted in unison as the guards pointed their guns at them. "[BLACK TUNDRA-FIMBULWINTER]!"

All of their guns freeze first, then their bodies, and finally upon the pitch-black blizzard ceasing, all of them scatter into pitch-black snow.

And the best part? All of this happened in a bubble of shadows that Garou formed in part of his collaborative effort with his twin sister, effectively creating a mobile deathtrap skill.

Only downside was that it made both the twins a bit winded, but to be fair, they were no strangers to fatigue.

"C'mon!" Garou barked out. "Let's try and work this thing!"

The two enter the gondola, and began to fiddle with the controls on the main console.

"I'll try to find a manual for it!" Fubuki stated. "You try pushing random buttons!"

Garou then begins pushing buttons on the console, with a red one causing the ship's engines to begin emitting sound.

"I think we got something!" Garou shouted out.

"Brother! We got company!" Fubuki pointed out at the surrounding mercenaries coming towards them.

Garou tries to keep pressing buttons on the console, and finds a button labeled "_waffe_" before pressing it.

The ports around the gondola opens up, revealing gun barrels pointed around all directions.

The guns then opened fire upon the sellswords, killing most of them, with the rest ducking behind cover.

"I FOUND IT!" Fubuki exclaimed as she brought out a "Pilot's Manual" from one of the cabinets before handing it to Garou.

"Alright, let's see-"

One of the windows break from a stray [Icicle Spear].

"FUCK THE MANUAL!" Garou roared out as he wrung the ship's controls while pushing random buttons. "IT'S DO OR DIE!"

Upon pressing the yellow button, the ship's turbines begin to spin.

"SHIT! THEY'RE TAKING OFF!" One of the sellswords cried out. "SHOOT EM DOWN! SHOOT EM DOWN!"

The sellswords then intensified their attack onto the ship, throwing more magic and arrows against the gondola's hulls.

"SHIT, WE'RE OUT!" Garou cried out as the ship's weapons were depleted of its ammo. "SIS! COVER ME!"

Fubuki then begins firing her [Ice] magic from her gunstaff as Garou tried to work the ship.

"COME ON YOU HUNK OF SLAG, WORK!"

The ship then begins taking off of the ground.

"ARE WE FLYING!?" Fubuki asked.

"HELL YEAH, WE ARE!" Garou cried out triumphantly. "SIS, FINISH EM OFF!"

"GOT IT!" The fox-girl cried out before she drank her stolen [Intermediate Mana Potion].

She than began concentrating all of her mana into the tip of her gunstaff as she chanted.

"BY THE LAWS OF THIS WORLD, I HEREBY DICTATE ALL AMBIENT OXYGEN AND HYDROGEN AT MY COMMAND! CEASE ALL DYNAMICS AND ENCASE MY FOES IN WINTER'S COLD GRIP! [ABSOLUTE ZERO]!"

The whole ground beneath them becomes a massive glacier, encasing every last one of them in the snow-blue ice.

"Haah..." Fubuki sighed out as she collapsed onto the floor and against the wall. "... I'm spent."

"No kidding..." Garou remarked as he tried to contain his excitement of stealing a valuable piece of foreign technology. "... BUT HOLY SHIT! WEREN'T WE TOTAL BADASSES, OR WHAT!?"

"I KNOW!" Fubuki exclaimed back. "DID YOU SEE THE LOOKS ON THEIR FACES BEFORE I FROZE THEM!?"

"I WISH I DID!"

Both then share a laugh over their triumphant heist/distraction.

Their moment of celebration, however was cut short, by a sound of sputtering coming from one of the turbines.

"... What was that?" Garou asked.

Fubuki looks out of the window, and finds one of the ship's turbines bearing a massive puncture hole.

"... Um, Garou?" Fubuki remarked. "I think we're in trouble."

The ship's altitude began its slow and involuntary descent.

"... Aw, shit." Garou cursed. "I guess us getting away with this was too good to be true."

The punctured verniers then combusted, hastening their fall.

"SIS, HOLD ONTO SOMETHING AND FIND COVER!" Garou roared out. "WE'RE GONNA CRASH!"

The ship's gondola then rams through one of the larger buildings, shattering the ship's windows in their messy descent, scattering shards of glass towards their covers.

Eventually, the sounds of scraping iron and combusting engines cease as the crash slows down.

"*cough*... Sis, you okay?" Garou asked out loud.

"... *cough* Somehow." Fubuki groaned out. "Although I think this ship's a bust."

"Fair enough."

The two then rip the hatch door out of their way, making their way into a wrecked room in a villa.

"... We're not paying for this, aren't we?" Garou asked Fubuki.

Fubuki shakes her head.

"Well, at least no one's here-"

The entrance door right in front of them was kicked off its hinges by a squat, yet fully-armored knight-like figure in deep amber-red armor, brandishing massively-clawed mitts as its weapons, and on top of his head, a wisp of flame acted as the visored-helmet's plume.

"... Nevermind, we _really_ screwed the pooch." Garou said in an increasingly-panicked tone. "RUN!"

The twins jump out of the breach as they were set upon by this deceptively-nimble squat-looking knight.

"JUST HOW IS THAT GUY RUNNING THAT FAST WITH ALL THAT ARMOR ON HIM!?" Fubuki asked as she ran.

"JUST SHUT UP AND KEEP RUNNING!" Garou barked out as he picked up speed.

The twins continue to run for their lives away from their mysteriously-armored purser, even after their stolen blimp that crash-landed behind them explodes into flames.

**Switching POV: Nan**

**"... Hmm, it seems that the audience is growing a little testy up there." **I remarked as I tried to figure out the contraptions for this bullcrap of a lift, all the while trying to ignore all the commotion outside. **"Then again, in the entertainment industry, you can't please everyone..."**

Grimm then shows up as he guided the rest of the [Berserk Corps] elevator taking up to the main arena.

**"What's taking so long?" **He asked. **"These guys behind us are starting to grow bit antsy."**

**"Just give me a minute..." ** I replied.** "C'mon think, just how does a ****pseudo-mechanical contraption even work? I mean, there was a slot and all, but where's this universe's equivalent of a keycard?"**

... Wait, that _handler_.

**"[Flyman]!"**

The humanoid fly buzzes towards me.

I pat him down, and find a wooden tablet with runes carved into it, hanging from its neck.

**"... To think such a technological marvel is being wasted in this dumpster fire of a place."** I bemoaned as I took the keycard.** "It just seems that this world is out to piss me off around every waking moment."**

I insert the keycard into the slot, the gates shut behind us as the cogs around the elevator begin to move.

As we slowly ascend, we begin to hear the displeased cries of the masses, denied of their so-called, "entertainment".

... Yeah, this is coming from a guy who regularly kills lots of people out of principle, but those assholes have no right to complain.

**"Grimm."** I remarked.** "... This place is a ****coliseum, where blood sports are a thing, correct?"**

**"You thinking what I'm thinking?"**

I smile.

... _Sadistically_.

**"... Last time I tried to test out my large-scale magical implants, there were few... ****_unintentional casualties_ caught in the middle of it."** I pointed out, recalling that time when I tested my [Geas], resulting Raphtalia and Filo to get caught in the crossfire.** "But this time around?"**

I look at my left arm, its chained pages now begging to flutter wild.

**"... There will now be, shall we say, _intentional casualties_."**

The doors open, and we are all greeted.

... By a dead silent crowd and MC.

I locate the MC, [Geas] him as he tried to flee, and he tosses the mic before I order him to jump off of his podium and fall headfirst to his death.

... Splat.

#dabinthemiddleofanenemyterritory

... What? I'm a huge Kefka fan, sue me.

I clear my throat before making my speech before the audience.

**"LAADDDIESS AND GENTLEMEEEN!"** I hammed it out into the mic.** "FOR TONIGHT'S SURPRISE EVENT, IT IS I, NAN HON-JAH! THE [TOME FALLEN], COMIN' TO YOU LIVE, ON THIS CESSPOOL OF SIN AND GREED, ZELTOBLE!"**

Murmurs of slight panic and confusion permeate the audience.

**"As you call all see, I'm here tonight for a very, very ****special occasion."** I announced.** "For you see, the last performance of children being violated by some featureless tentacle monster, all I have to ask, 'Is that what you wops call entertainment?'"**

Time to drop the base.

**"... Well then, for tonight, consider this the finale."** I announced.** "... Of your _lives_, that is."**

With my [Silver Wolf's Maw], I bite down on the chain binding the pages around my [Sibylline].

The chains come off, the pages of forgotten lore have been unleashed upon this world.

**"Thank y'all for coming to this feature presentation..."** I remarked in a _dryly-mirthful_ tone after I spat out the chain.** "... And watch out for the _splash zone_."**

My HUD then sends me a oh-so _wonderful_ message.

**"[Spellcraft: Chaoscast] Skill, learned."**

I raise my left hand upward, concentrating all of the surrounding mana into a singularity, as the sellswords in the audience come at me in their vain attempts to stop me.

**"[Spellcraft: Chaoscast]."**

Numerous magic circles surround me and the on-standby [Berserk Corps] like an artillery lineup.

... BTW, you know what [Chaoscast] does?

Well, picture every magic skill I've learned throughout my journey, most of them I've learned from my [Summons], and all of these magic circles are going to unleash every last one of them until my MP hits 0.

Addendum, about how many [Summons] do I have within my fold up to now?

... Actually you know what? I'll let the results speak for themselves.

**"And with all that said, ladies and gentlemen..." **I gleefully stated as a blinding light fills up the whole arena, engulfing these hapless fools to their guaranteed _oblivion_.

Oh course, some try to run.

... _Try_ being the only nominal word here.

**"... Thank you, and _goodnight_."**

And the whole world outside of my cavalcade of reckless magic usage turns _white_ as I dropped the mic.

* * *

**_To Be Continued..._**

* * *

**Author's Notes: **The spark has been lit. And all it took was people to play with fire (the blimp), amateurish assassination attempts that somehow works out, surprise-crossdressing (wig, dress, accent all included) on Nan's part, and an impassioned speech that pretty much tells the slaves that it's them against the whole world.

A few shenanigans during the insurrection amidst the mostly-unsuspecting partygoers, but hey.

... At least they'll go out with a _bang_.

... Yeah, in case if you haven't caught on, Nan tends to rely/abuse on the "Unspoken Plan Guarantee" trope hard, and it's only thanks to his Blackbeard/Marshall D. Teach-levels of luck that he comes out alive every time, albeit not whole, but still alive.

We're now up to four [Legions]: [Librarians/Scribes], [Rebel Infantry], [Blood-Oath Zealots], and the [Berserk Corps].

Just one more and we get a new [Title]!

* * *

**Current Party Members:**

* * *

**Name: Nan Hon-Jah**

**Class: [Tome Fallen]**

**Level: 73**

**Affinity: [All Eight Elements] & [Ten Primordial Sins]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Mad**

**Equipment: ****[Forbidden Tome, Grimm the Heretic], [Grimoire Heart], [Lemegeton], [****Sibylline****], [Necromancer's Robes], [Mire Boots], [Wight's Rune of Spite], [Silver Wolf's Maw], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Visage of Madness], [Mystic Geas: Puppeteer], [Portable Dragon's Hourglass], [Slayer's Rusted Plate Armor]**

**Legion: [Berserk Corps]**

**Attack: 86 (+195)**

**Defense: 82 (+40)**

**Agility: 81 (+35)**

**Luck: 75 (+45)**

**HP: 630 (+105)**

**MP: 730 (+305)**

* * *

**Name: Garou**

**Class: [Slave Brawler]**

**Level: 77**

**Affinity: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Assassin's Leather Armor], [Nightshroud], [Blade Gauntlets], [Primal Claws], [Katars]**

**Attack: 98 (+50)**

**Defense: 62 (-20)**

**Agility: 100 (+65)**

**Luck: 50 (+20)**

**HP: 820 (+20)**

**MP: 300 (-100)**

* * *

**Name: Fubuki**

**Class: [Slave Monk]**

**Level: 77**

**Affinity: [Ice]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Twilight Gunstaff], [Darkbane Gauntlets], [Twilight Cloak], [Twilight Hunter's Hood], [Mana Medallion]**

**Attack: 89 (+45)**

**Defense: 56 (+30)**

**Agility: 91 (+25)**

**Luck: 87 (+20)**

**HP: 570 (-50)**

**MP: 930 (+100)**

* * *

**Name: Genbu**

**Class: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Affinity: None**

**Alignment: ?**

**Equipment: [Wayward Nomad's Garbs], [Silver Pocket Watch & Chain], [Silver Shortsword], [Silver Buckler], [Fafnir's Flametongue]**

**Attack: ?**

**Defense: ?**

**Agility: ?**

**Luck: 9,999**

**HP: ?**

**MP: ?**

* * *

**Name: Rino**

**Class: [Slave Assassin]**

**Level: 66**

**Affinity: [Earth]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Brave Compound Bow], [Spark Dagger], [Steel Throwing Knives x20], [Assassin's Cloak], [Shadow Mufflers], [Silent Step Sandals]**

**Attack: 69 (+80)**

**Defense: 40 (+10)**

**Agility: 87 (+120)**

**Luck: 86 (+90)**

**HP: 360 (+40)**

**MP: 300 (+40)**

* * *

**Name: Glass**

**Class: [Phantom Fan Saint]**

**Level: 91**

**Affinity: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Sacred Fans], [Kimono of Mourning], [Pristine Visage]**

**Legion: [Blood-Oath Zealots]**

**Attack: 105 (+50)**

**Defense: 84 (+70)**

**Agility: 123 (+50)**

**Luck: 51 (+100)**

**HP: 790 (+200)**

**MP: 830 (+250)**

* * *

So what do you think of this Epic?

Please leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience is thinking!


	28. Epic 27: The Outbreak Part Finale

**_Commencing Second Cour of Chronicles of the Wayward Tome Hero._**

**_(Still) Waiting for Season 2..._**

**_Finger Count: 5/10_**

**_Eye Count: 2/2_**

**_Arm Count: 1/2_**

**_Leg Count: 2(?)/2_**

**_Sanity Meter: 25%_**

**_Death Counter: 36_**

**_Let's burn it all to the ground._**

* * *

_**Epic 27: The Outbreak Part Finale**_

* * *

**Switching POV: Nan**

**"... Keheheheheh, I love the smell _burning bodies_ in the evening."**

The flash of light dies down as the smoke begins to settle.

Around me, once there were charging adventurers and sellswords that only listens to the chinks of gold, their sole reason for not only upholding this rotten institution, but also the reason why they charged at me, the future Demon King that'll discipline this unruly world in the first place.

... _Whores_. All of them. Had they listened to other than the sounds of gold coins landing in their pockets, they _might've_ lived.

A little too late for that, unfortunately, but hey, they had no one else to blame, but themselves.

**"Well that was ****surprisingly boring."** I remarked to myself as I drank my last [High-Grade Intermediate Mana Potion] that I bartered from Naofumi.** "... Well? What are you lot waiting for!? Free food!" **I pointed towards the audience running out of their seats.

My [Berserk Corps] then begin to_ feast_ at the fleeing spectators.

The Owl-[Kenku] plucks off a man's eyeballs, the [Flyman] devours and slurps up a woman's entrails like spaghetti, the [Werelions] tear the flesh off of children's bones, the [Lizardmen] chew up the elderly piecemeal, the [Minotaurs] bulldoze and gore through the fleeing crowds with their horns, making a macabre kebab out of their bodies, the [Naga] skewers several people at once with its [Trident] before eating them like a drumstick, the [Bicorns] stampede and trample upon the fleeing crowd into paste, the [Werebears] swipe and rake their way through the crowd with their claws, spraying fountains of blood everywhere, the [Trolls] grab and thrash around the people caught in their grip like a child would abuse its toy like a well-worn ragdoll, and the [Golem]...

... Just simply brought a massive urn of fresh water towards the [Kelpie], drenching it wet, reinvigorating its powers back to an acceptable performance, which the [Kelpie] then trots towards me before lowering its back before me.

**"... You want me to ride you?" **I asked the seaweed-colored kelp-horse, which then responds with a neigh.

I mount the beautiful beast and the [Golem] acts as my aide.

**"Alright... this is like riding a ****jetski, but no risk of drowning, for now at least-"**

The [Kelpie] then breaks into a mad dash, barreling through the slaughtered crowds like a lawn mower to a lawn.

**"HOLY SHIIIT!"** I screeched out.** "BAD MEMORIES, BAD MEMORIES, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WHHHHHHY-AYAHAHAHA!?"**

... Context, I once rode on a jetski back when I was still in my middle school-age.

I fell off, and my nose took in lots of water and just leave at that.

Regardless, there was some elation found in the act of me and my army of badass DnD creatures mowing through the capitalist pigs like a slaughterhouse on a good day. Who knew murder can be so... _therapeutic_?

... I might be going insane. But hey, tell that to me when there's an actual therapist in this godforsaken world, or at least a better alternative to an insanity plea.

**"Ugh, I'm ruining this for myself." **I remarked right before a stone was thrown at my face, hitting me in my left eye/my only good eye.

But before the brat can get away, the [Naga] catches him by the [Trident], slowly corralling the kid towards my direction, until he's surrounded by the entirety of the [Berserk Corps].

**"Hold." **I ordered.

I dismount from the [Kelpie] and slowly approached the trembling kid in noble-like clothes.

**"Sup kid."** I greeted the rich kid.** "... You know that your little stunt almost cost me my only good eye left, right?"**

The kid tries to speak out through his stuttering.

"Y-Yo-You-You killed... mother, and... father..." He trembled out. "Give them back... GIVE THEM BACK, DAMMIT!"

The brat then stabs me in the foot with a jewel-encrusted shiv.

... My, right, _dummy_ foot.

**"... Ahahaha... No."**

With my other, good leg, I deliver a swift kick across his cheek, knocking out nearly all of his molars from his gums.

"... You... YOU HIT ME!" He cried out. "YOU DARE HIT ME!? I'LL TELL FATHER OF THIS TRANSGRESSION!"

**"Yeah, you're welcome to try when he's currently being melted down inside one of my friend's guts..." **I snidely remarked. **"... God, I hate kids. Especially rich kids like this little punk."**

I then pick the brat up by his cream-blonde hair, tugging him upwards as he struggled for his life.

**"You know what I hate about kids?"** I asked the spoiled brat. **"They're ignorant, they're stupid, they're impressionable, and to top it all off, they're so pure that it makes me want to vomit. Now, I can vouch on the fact that they don't better, and you know what? I can understand that. But what I cannot stand is when you brats refuse to learn. You think that you have all the time in the world, that the whole world is yours, and that your hopes and dreams are actually going to come true when you beg enough. WELL GUESS WHAT!? IT AIN'T LIKE THAT! YOU THINK JUST BECAUSE YOU'VE SQUIRTED OUT OF SOME NOUVEAU RICHE'S WHORE MEANS THAT YOU CAN DO WHAT YOU WANT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!? WELL GUESS WHAT!? FUCK THAT!"**

I unfold the switchblade in my [Bandit's Silver Thumb].

**"... When it comes to teaching pretentious kids like you, a lesson in pain is _required_."** I stated.** "So allow me to enforce a... _Chinese_ method."**

I then flay off a piece of his skin from his thigh, causing him to belch out a shrill scream of agony.

**"_Death by a thousand cuts_."** I gleefully remarked as I licked the blood off of my blade.** "The longest recorded execution took up to _3,357 cuts_ over the course of _three whole days_ before the poor sap died. Wanna see how long you last?"**

"... Please stop... it hurts." The kid begged tearfully.

**"Oh suck it up."** I dispassionately remarked.** "It'll hurt less as time goes on."**

I then proceed to flay the brat.

**"That's two."**

I then flay off another.

**"That's three."**

The thrashing becomes more sporadic, but thankfully, I was holding him up by [Sibylline], my left prosthetic arm, so my grip around his hair remained firm.

**"Four." **I stated as I flayed off the skin of his open chest.

I simply kept going, taking out my resentments against rich people, kids, and kids from rich people onto this brat.

I know what I'm doing is the textbook definition of "Moral Event Horizon", but then again, twofold.

One, the whole world pretty much sees as the real Demon King compared to Naofumi, creating a disparity of information and belief, which will help me utilize a divide and conquer tactic in my campaign against this world. But if they actually wisen up to my plans and makes me their priority, oh well, more EXP for me and my party.

Two, by the time I'm completely through with this shitstain of a world, all of the notions of "good" and "evil", both _macro_ and _micro_, will be rendered_ obsolete_.

True freedom means abandoning everything. Society, morals (good and evil), laws, and beliefs, all must be _purged_ to purify this rotten world.

A world without gods nor kings, where all beings run free and be themselves, so that they may sate their long-neglected hearts.

A world without order nor chaos, where no one will be bound by any boundaries, the right to love and hate whoever you please.

A world without meaning nor dreams, where all shall live for the sake of living, so they can grow and prosper naturally.

A world without laws or philosophy, where everyone can finally be honest with themselves, no longer being told what's right or wrong anymore.

A world without a past nor future, where everyone can live for the moment, so that they can be satisfied with the lives that they're given.

That is the world I seek.

A world called "Nihilism", the true liberation of all sentience.

**"... And a _hundred_."**

I drop the kid reminiscent of a cross between well-used cutting board and a freshly-butchered cattle onto the floor.

**"Congrats, kiddo." **I stated as I drew out my [Sacrificial Dagger]. **"Guess you finally learned something, eh?"**

One [Invoke] from the still-breathing boy (somehow), and got myself a free [Cu Sith].

**"Alright, we move." **I ordered the [Berserk Corps] as I got back on my [Kelpie], now with the fae-dog at my side. **"Don't let anyone leave this city alive, you hear!?"**

The entire [Berserk Corps] roar out affirmatively.

**"Alright then."** I ordered.** "MOVE OUT!"**

**Switching POV: Glass**

"EVERYONE, KEEP MOVING!" Glass cried out as she mowed down another squadron of city guards and mercenaries.

She spots Rino disposing some guards of her own with her [Steel Throwing Knives], Genbu jumps onto a guard's face before he slashes his throat open with his [Silver Short Sword], the escaped slaves were fighting the mercenaries a murderous zeal, taking the whole "kill all who stands in our way" credo to its extreme, with some painting their faces with the blood of their slain captors.

And oh god, their _war cries_.

**"KILL THEM ALL!"**

**"SPARE NO ONE! NOT EVEN WOMEN AND CHILDREN WILL LIVE!"**

**"PUNISH ALL WHO EVEN THINK OF PUTTING US BACK IN CHAINS!"**

**"KILL THEM! KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!"**

... Were the state of slavery so horrid that the moment they're given the opportunity to strike back, they'd do it with the rage akin to that of an entire_ Legion_ from Hell?

Just who's even on the right side of this conflict anymore? Just what is "good" or "evil" in this world.

_"Is this what Nan really wants out of this?"_ Glass thought._ "In order to fight a mad goddess, he'll do it with the intent of a mad god?"_

She then hears a girl's scream, turning to find a well-dressed man holding a girl with mole-like features hostage at knifepoint.

"DON'T MOVE!" He cried out as he brought the knife closer. "ANY CLOSER, AND YOU CAN KISS THIS LITTLE BITCH GOODBYE-"

His threat was then cut off with several arrows pinning onto his face like a bloody pincushion, letting go of the girl post mortem.

"Are you okay?" Glass asked the mole-girl.

The mole-girl silently nods.

"Stay close to me, you hear?" Glass stated.

The girl nods again.

"Alright then..." Glass remarked as she unfurled her [Sacred Fans]. "RINO! COVER ME!"

The [Assassin] nods as Glass then begins to wave and arc her fan's swings and sways, transitioning into a dancelike motion.

"[Four Seasons Aria: Reverse Winter Stance-Hailstorm]!"

The swings of her fans generate blades of ice and hardened sleet that were thrown to the opposition, cutting through their armor and bone like if they were wearing paper.

"PRESS FORWARD! HURRY!" Glass roared out as she led the group through the streets, slashing through more city guards and mercenaries in their path.

As they continue to press forward, more guards and sellswords were cut down like wheat during harvest season, marching closer towards their freedom.

"We're almost there!" Rino cried out. "We're almost by the exit-"

"GETOUTOFTHEWAY!"

In front of them, Garou and Fubuki were running for their lives from a short, fully-armored knight with clawed mitts chasing after them.

From the mere presence alone, Glass knew, that knight were after the twins?

... He's bad news.

"EVERYONE, GET BEHIND ME!" Glass shouted out. "RINO! GENBU! WATCH THE REAR!"

Of course she knew that their escape felt too easy. If the slaves were going to have to earn their freedom, they're going to have to _kill_ for it.

Such is the distorted laws of this crazy-ass world.

**Switching POV: Seiryu**

"AND ANOTHER ONE FOR HOME!" She cried out as she batted away the last sellsword with her [Rune Slayer] into a bloody mess.

For Seiryu, it was a blast, all things considered.

Killing scumbags only in it for the gold, killing racist and politically-incorrect people, all the while, gaining stronger in the process?

Hell yeah! This is life for a [Blue Tyrera Queen] like her! [Dragons] live for battle, and her leader provides with plenty.

And even better, she gets to do it with the people she loves, allowing them to bond over the bones they've all broken.

And before anyone tell her that it's not normal to bond over the people they've killed, all she has to say to them, is a simple "Screw you".

"AND FUCK OFF!" She roared out as she batted another's head off of his shoulders before it splattered against the tree trunk behind him.

"Big Sis!"

From the bushes, her [Red Filolial King] younger brother came out, dragging a severed head from the end of his [Heat Dart].

"Sup kiddo." Seiryu greeted as she ruffled his blood-red hair. "How's it on your end?"

"Just awesome, I just like, killed ten guys with my rope dart in one throw." Suzaku remarked right before he tossed this severed head towards a charging [Reaver] behind Seiryu, knocking him out with a bop to his nose. "I accidentally ripped one of their heads off when I tried to yank out my [Heat Dart], but otherwise, I think I'm getting a little faster at this whole 'killing' thing."

"You don't say?" Seiryu remarked as she finished off the downed [Reaver] with the tip of her [Rune Slayer] crushing his head like a mortar to pestle. "For me, I think my scales are starting to become more ironlike, probably from all the muscle training I did for the past few weeks."

"I think we're just getting stronger for every enemy we kill." Suzaku pointed out as he pulled his improv-ball and chain-flail. "So let's keep at it Sis!"

"Nice thinking Baby Bro!" Seiryu grinned manically as her [Rune Slayer] unfolds itself into massive blade of translucent blue light. "LET'S WASTE THESE MONEY-GRUBBING CREEPS!"

"RIGHT BEHIND YOU, SIS!" Suzaku replied as his [Heat Dart]'s arrowhead glowed at a more intense color of bright orange-red.

**Switching POV: Fubuki**

... Okay, for the life of her, this whole ordeal was honestly a bit of a mixed bag so far.

Tried to steal a flying boat, crash landed into a middle of a city, and now she and Garou were being pursued by a short, fully-armored knight with oversized mitts for his weapons.

... At least a part of the city was burning, so at least they made a decent distraction.

"WAIT, I SEE GLASS AHEAD!" Garou cried out. "WE NEED TO REGROUP! COME ON!"

Both the twins accelerate into a mad sprint.

"GLASS! GLASS!" Both cried out.

"YOU TWO, GET TO THE REAR!" Glass barked out.

The twins leap towards the grouping, sliding against the floor as their last spurt of escape.

"You okay!?" Garou asked his fox-twin.

Fubuki nods.

"HEY YOU!" One of the haphazardly-armed man barked out. "YOU ON OUR SIDE!?"

"Well, we just burned down a villa, so yeah, maybe?" Fubuki replied.

"In that case, cover us!" He shouted out right before he went back to the scramble happening at the rear.

Both twins look at each other for a moment.

"... You know, I think this whole evening is just weird." Garou pointed out. "Then again, we've been through weirder."

Fubuki nods.

"C'mon." Garou remarked. "Support me from the rear."

Fubuki slaps herself awake as her [Mana Medallion] slowly recharged her mana for the battle ahead.

"... Alright, the worst is over, we need to push forward a bit more." She told herself.

**Switching POV: Glass**

Now, there were only three things.

One, the coalition of freed slaves and her party members fending off the remaining city guards and mercenaries in murderous zeal.

Two, the unknown armored knight with massive steel-clawed mitts.

And three, the only thing standing between the unknown knight and her responsibility, herself.

"Just who are you?" Glass asked the knight. "... You're no ordinary sellsword, aren't you?"

The knight wordlessly brandishes its claws, raking against the ground, creating sparks from the friction as it slowly approached her.

"Fair enough." Glass remarked as she began to float off the ground. "Let's fight."

The knight then charges towards her, clawed mitts out and foremost.

"[First Stance Solo: Armor Flayer]!"

Several crescent blades of magic fly towards the knight.

The knight however, simply parries the magic blades away as it continues charging towards her.

"Shit! Then how about this!?" Glass remarked as she continued her dance. "[Winter Stance Aria: Icy Road]!"

She swings both of her fans down, creating a chilly wind that turned the whole ground in front of her into a massive ice rink.

However, before the frozen earth can touch its feet, the knight jumps into the air...

... And with its clawed mitts, it digs through the [Icy Road] and burrows underground.

"WHAT!?" Glass remarked as she looked around to see where it'll pop out. "... Son of a bitch, now I get why he had those mitts."

The patch of earth next to her begins to slightly bulge upwards.

Before it can erupt, Glass jumps away from it, evading the clawed knight's dig attack.

"You're a [Moleman], aren't you?" Glass stated towards the knight.

The clawed knight simply turns its head towards her, before speaking to her.

**"... For a damned foreigner, you're quite mouthy." **The armored [Moleman] remarked. **"But enough talk. I got a quota to meet and a bounty to collect."**

The [Moleman] then burrows beneath the earth once more.

"Oh no you don't!" Glass declared as she opened her [Sacred Fans]. "You're not duping me twice in a row! [Mountain Stance Solo: Tremor Ritual]!"

Her fans point upward, causing the whole area around her to begin quaking.

"HEY, WATCH IT!" Rino shouted out. "I CAN'T GET A CLEAR SHOT AT THEM WITH THE SHAKING!"

Both the [Blood-Oath Zealots] and the city guards, however, still resumed fighting, with some pockets taking advantage of the tremors to gain an upper hand on their opposition.

The already-hectic scramble against time becomes a full-blown _riot_, with both sides now slaughtering their own to reach the enemy, packing each other like crabs in cages, clawing and pinching at each other, without regard on whoever lives or dies, as long as _someone_ dies.

**"KILL THE SLAVERS! LET THEM HANG FROM THEIR OWN CHAINS!"**

**"WASTE THESE CRETINS! SHOW THEM WHAT FOR, BOYS!"**

**"KILL THEM! KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!"**

The fighting at the rear began to intensify, with everyone behind her and the [Moleman] going borderline_ feral_ in their desperate struggle for each side's collective survival.

Amidst the chaos, however, a young mole-faced girl slips out of the conflict, tumbling onto her flat.

"You alright!?" Glass approached the girl. "... Although the whole scuffle can be anything but safe, especially for you-"

**"... Imia?"**

The mole-faced girl turns her head towards the armored [Moleman].

**"... Imia, is that you?" **The armored [Moleman] asked the little girl. **"After five years of searching, is that really you?"**

"... Wait, you two know each other?" Glass asked the knight.

The knight takes off its helmet, to reveal a thick-bearded man with a mole-like nose underneath.

"... Daddy?" Imia tearfully replied.

Glass, taking the hint, lets the girl go towards her father.

"DADDY!" Imia bawled out.

"It's all right, baby cakes..." The [Moleman] reassured his daughter. "Daddy won't let you go, because daddy swears-"

"WATCH YOUR SIX!"

Glass throws one of her fans above the [Moleman]'s head, intercepting an arrow aimed towards him.

"Crap, there's more!?" Glass remarked as she retrieved her fan.

However, they weren't city guards.

Unlike the uniformed military of Zeltoble, these particular armed group were dressed in similar outfits of Melromarc's soldiers, but instead of blue, they were wearing white and red, all of them carrying [Blessed Spears] or [Blessed Bows] in their gloved hands.

"We've been expecting you, minions of the Demon King." The leader of the detachment stated coolly. "In the name of the [Three Heroes Church], strike these heretics down-"

"LOOK OUT BELOW!"

A massive block of ice crushes the leader into a bloody paste, above it being the twins, Garou and Fubuki.

"Okay, remind me to not suggest using [Hail Hammer] in tandem with your [Shadow Dive] while we're in an enclosed space." Fubuki remarked. "In my defense, I didn't know that shadows had a size limit."

"On the plus side, looks like we got more walking EXP." Garou grinned. "Hey Glass! Wanna kick some ass together!?"

"HOW ABOUT YOU DEMIHUMAN FILITH JUST DIE-"

The man's toxic remark was then cut off by one of the [Moleman]'s claws impaling through his gaping mouth and out the back of his head.

"How about you turds instead take back what you just said about my baby girl?" The [Moleman] replied furiously. "It's always you Melromarcians... You just can't stop picking on us demihumans, eh?"

He pulls out his claw from the man's mouth before he flicked the blood off of his metal nail.

"YOU THERE!" He barked out towards Glass. "KEEP MY BABY CAKE SAFE! THESE BASTARDS ARE AFTER THE DEMIHUMANS!"

"KILL HIM-"

The command was cut off from Garou's [Katars] burying into the fanatic's eyes.

"Hey old man." Garou asked the [Moleman] right before he jumped off the dead [Church Soldier]. "I dunno who you are, nor where I know which hole these fuckers crawled out of, but one thing's for sure, those guys in white and red? You want em dead, right?"

"What do you say?" Fubuki remarked as she jumped off the ice block before reading loading her gunstaff with her [Ice] magic. "Fellow demihuman to demihuman, let's kill some racist dirtbags."

"Heh, like the way you kids think." The [Moleman] remarked. "Very well, allow me to show you how the famed Black Knight of Siltvelt, _Spitznagel Swartzritter_ fights!"

"KILL THEM!" The church-maniacs roared out as they charged.

"I'll intercept the arrows!" Glass barked out as she unfurled her [Sacred Fans]. "You guys rip each of them a new asshole! Little girl, don't move from where you stand! It's dangerous to go into the fray!"

The four then then take the other flank, resuming this two-front assault in order to protect one, [Moleman] girl.

... She was starting to slowly understand why Nan did what he did now.

_"Being a [Hero] was never about saving the world or saving the people in it." _She thought as she blew the rain of arrows with her [Sacred Fans] midair. _"It was never about revenge, love, or even duty. Rather it was for the sole sake of saving at least one innocent life, even at the cost of the majority."_

"KEEP FIRING! KEEP FIRING!" The church-maniac kept barking out his orders. "SHOOT THAT GHOST BITCH DOWN WITH [HOLY ARROWS]!"

_"I understand." _She thought as she rebounded a flurry of [Holy Arrow] with her own [Daybreak Stance Aria: Glimmer Tamer]. _"Nan, I sort of understand why you go about as you do, on why you seem to despise the concept of [Heroes] to its very core, and on why you attract a bunch of crazies in the first place, or that you're such a bad influence. You don't believe in the idea of saving the worlds and the people in it. You instead wish to change all of it, so that it doesn't have to be saved in the future. You don't wish to save them. You instead want to them remind them that they can be strong by themselves. Strong without [Heroes]. Strong even without the so-called Gods."_

The epiphany blossomed in her mind, heart, and soul. With every passing moment spent, every ounce of effort poured out of her very being, all just to protect one girl.

A normal person would call her a fool fo undertaking such foolhardy and uphill approach. Some may call her a monster for forsaking the majority for the sake of the minority.

But what do they know of loss? What do they know of what it's like to live in a world on a brink of ruin, with each passing day a duty to yield out as much effort to preserve the lives of her friends and loved ones?

... If the world needs to burn, then so they shall. If they deserve to die from their own ignorance towards her friends's suffering, then so they shall.

Only Nan and his family had the modicum of trust within her, because even if they're doomed to repeat the cycle of subservience to some deluded god, then the only way is to go forward...

**... AND CRUSH WHATEVER IS IN THEIR WAY!**

**"BURN IN HELL, YOU BASTARDS!"**

**[Wrath Fan 3] Activated**

Her whole astral body begins to heat up like the furnace, as flames begin to flicker and arc all around her, her mind being overwhelmed with the thoughts of outright murder.

**"YOUR INJUSTICE AND PREJUDICE ENDS HERE!" **Glass roared out with all her collected fury. **"[Climax Torture Stance Symphony: Broken Wheel Waltz]!"**

Wheels of black iron, forged from the depths of hell, wreathed in flames, rolled out towards the unsuspecting madmen, right before they were run over, flesh seared, bones crunched to fine powder underneath the heavy axels.

**"REPENT, YOU SINNERS!"** Glass howled out with the utmost of vengeance.** "REPENT FOR EVERY VILE THOUGHT AND SERMONS THAT YOU AND YOUR LOT OF MAGGOTS HAVE SPEWED OUT FOR GENERATIONS! YOU DARE CALL US DEMONS!? THEN YOU'RE ALL _DEMON SHIT_!"**

"... D... DIE-"

The flaming wheel runs the maniac down, grinding his entire skeleton into fine powder before running over several more.

Behind the slaughtered group of racist maniacs, more come sprawling out of the alleyways towards where their comrades once stood.

"D-DON'T FALTER!" The leader shouted out as he drew his own [Blessed Sword]. "CHARGE TOWARDS HEAVEN, OR FALL BACK INTO HELL!"

Both men and women, all sparsely-armed, blindly _charged_ into the flames.

**"More maggots?" **Glass remarked. **"SO SHALL THEY TOO, WILL _BURN_!"**

**Switching POV: Rino**

The whole situation for them didn't exactly go bad, per se, but it definitely escalated beyond anyone's expectations.

Granted, they still held the advantage in terms of raw power, but in terms of overall insanity, it was until now that they were contested.

Sure, the previous encounters were just as ridiculous in terms of body count they've racked up, but before, they were dealing with utter morons.

... Now at the other end, they were dealing with _suicidal martyrs_. How does she know all this?

Well, it's safe to say that now they're completely _surrounded_.

"Dammit!" Rino cursed as she threw another set of [Steel Throwing Knives] towards another martyr. "Just how the hell did these get into the city? I thought Nan had the whole perimeter on lockdown!"

**"... Dunno, but these bastards rank of piss and shite." **Genbu remarked as he silt another martyr's throat.

"Wait..." Rino remarked after she loosed an arrow towards a zealot. "Piss and shit?"

She then approaches a dead zealot and sniffs on her cloak.

"... Oh shit." Rino remarked. "GENBU! THEY'RE ALL COMING FROM THE SEWERS!"

**"WHAT!? THE CITY HAD SEWERS!?"** Genbu replied in surprise after he kills another Zealot. **"BUT I THOUGHT THEY STILL USED CHAMBERPOTS!"**

**"The whole city itself is amidst a mixed state of technology."** The [Stygian] pointed out as he shredded another martyr.** "It was transitioning before we got here, maybe that's why I've failed to grasp the whole city from master's map alone..."**

"... You mean to say that the map of Zeltoble that Nan got was an _outdated_ edition?" Rino asked.

**"We've been had." **The [Stygian] answered as he crawled out of all of the dying martyr's facial orifices. **"But that doesn't change what we came here for. Kill them all, and leave no survivors."**

"I'll bitch it to Nan later." Rino grumbled out as she stabbed another with her [Spark Dagger]. "Until then, we continue as planned."

**"No need to tell me twice, lassie!" **Genbu hollered out as she threw one his [Silver Buckler] like discus towards a martyr's face, knocking him out.

Rino spots another [Church Soldier] climbing up to the building that they were on, and shoots an arrow at its eye.

"SHIT! I'M ALMOST OUT OF ARROWS!" Rino cursed as she throws another [Steel Throwing Knife] at another martyr. "GENBU, YOU HAVE ANY ASSHOLES WITH FULL QUILLS!?"

**"Catch!"**

The [Gremlin] tosses a full quill towards Rino.

"Thanks!" Rino stated as she fired her last arrow from her old quill.

A large man with a [Blessed Mace] comes charging towards her, but [Stygian] slashes through his ankles before Rino follows up with a stab from her [Spark Dagger] before kicking his massive body off the building edge, crushing three more martyrs underneath.

**"Don't let up."** The [Stygian] pointed out. **"Don't let them swarm the ****building."**

**"EASIER SAID THAN DONE!"** Genbu cried out as he slashed another's throat.** "THESE FUCKWADS ARE PILING BODIES NEXT TO THE BUILDING! THEY'RE USING THE BODIES OF THEIR OWN TO CLIMB UP!"**

"CAN'T YOU BURN THEM!?" Rino asked as she shot another down. "YOU DID THAT BACK AT THE COLISEUM, DIDN'T YOU!?"

**"I CAN ONLY USE IT ONCE A DAY!" **Genbu pointed out. **"WEREN'T YOU LISTENING BACK THEN!?"**

**"WILL YOU TWO FOCUS!?" **Stygian cried out in exasperation before shredding another with is black tendril-blades.

As the swarming continued, the intensity of the enemy's charges grew more and more in ferocity. With each martyred, ten more took their place.

The whole city was now littered with bodies of both freed slaves and the Church martyrs, with both sides refusing to give any modicum of corner, slowly devolving further and further into their long-untapped _primal rage_.

**"KILL THEM! KILL THEM! DEATH TO THE OPPRESSORS!"**

**"KILL THEM! KILL THEM! DEATH TO THE HERETICS!"**

**"KILL THEM! KILL THEM! DEATH TO ALL WHO STANDS BEFORE US!"**

**"KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!"**

The echoed _cries_ themselves were thirsting for _blood_. The people beneath the burning city streets were utterly_ void_ of any semblances of mercy and compassion.

One fought for freedom that they were denied of until just now. The other fought for the name of their so-called [Heroes] that they worshipped as gods.

But both were simply fighting to kill the other, as if neither cause nor ideal mattered anymore.

_Death_ was now their sole _religion_, with their respective opposition being their sacrifices.

The sacrifices towards the _God_ known as Nan Hon-Jah.

... Rino had no problems with that, since the [Spear Hero] utterly screwed her over, so might as well _get even_.

"COME ON, YOU BASTARDS!" Rino roared out. "WHO WANTS TO BECOME A PINCUSHION!?"

She continued to fire more arrows towards her _sacrifices_.

All are fodder before the [Tome Fallen]. Death to the Kingdom that betrayed her.

Death to the whole world that just stood by and watched.

... Long live the coming world that shall be ushered by their hands.

**Switching POV: Imia**

She couldn't believe it, she was finally freed, and she finally reunited with her father.

Five years prior, during one of the border attacks in Siltvelt, Imia was living with her _fourth_ mother (long story), while her father was off fighting in a war against Melromarc. All of the sudden, her village came under attack, the human soldiers killing every men in the village, with the women and children being corralled into carts as slaves to be sold to the human nobles.

Her fourth mother died in captivity before she can be sold, and ever since then, she herself was sold from noble to noble, beaten, abused, tortured, raped, and humiliated for five years straight.

Thankfully, she herself was spared from being the "opening act", but even then, the handlers had plans for her to be facing against a swan [Kenku] that they've caught, roleplaying some old story of a woman who was raped by a man who transformed into swan to have his way with him.

She prayed for a quick death, for even if she were to be raped, she would most likely killed regardless. Nevertheless, death was her only means of escape.

... But then, tonight happened.

A pair of strangers, with one currently bathing herself in flames to protect her, freed her and the rest of the slaves, then tells them that their homes and kingdoms had abandoned them to their faith, and that if they wished to live, then they would have to fight for it, not only against the city of slavers, but the rest of the world at large, so that their freedom may be secured.

It may explain why the Siltvelt's [Sentinels] hasn't shown up to their village, so were her mother and her abandoned to their fates? At least, in the end, the pain underneath bondage was over at last.

... But at what cost?

Her father, fighting alongside with two other demihumans, were like literal demons from the depths of Hell, ripping and tearing their way through their oppositions, with the humans clad in white and blood trying to push back with unrelenting zeal. Biting, clawing, and beating their way forward, they were showing no signs of their former selves, once civil, now devolved into _manic bloodlust_.

Her father, in the past five years of searching for her, has become a monster-no.

... _Everywhere_, in this burning city. There were _nothing_, but _monsters_.

The whole world that she knew five years back, has gone straight to Hell in a handbasket.

She wanted to scream, she wanted to pray to god, she wants to cry out for help, but her pleas towards the smoke-choked skies were drowned out by the manic and crazed cries of the monsters around her, all of them chanting a singing for nothing short of_ death_.

_"... Ah, I see. God died along with mother."_

She falls to her knees and begins laughing as tears flowed out of her eyes.

She would throw herself into the carnage if she can help it, but she couldn't.

Not even death was an escape to the madness that plagued the world that she once knew.

... She died. Everyone died. The whole world died.

And from its ashes, they were all reborn. As _monsters_.

There were no humans and demihumans anymore. The boundaries were breached beyond repair.

Everyone was now a monster in this new and nightmarish world that she woke up to. Once a sleeping slave, now awake in an _utter nightmare_.

... Upon reaching this horrific revelation, she continues to laugh and cackle _manically_, as the last dredges of her sanity had finally abandoned her poor soul to_ erode_ into dust.

Behind her, a massive explosion that drowned out the cries were heard, followed up by more sounds of flesh and bone being torn apart.

**"Cheers luv..."**

... A monster riding on top of a horse made of kelp was standing above her, imposing its intimidating silhouette over the little girl amidst the flames.

**"... ****Calvary's here!"**

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

**"... Okay, what's going on here?" **I asked anyone around me for answers. **"Just why's there a bunch of those churchgoing dumbasses doing in a place like this?"**

... No seriously. Why are they here?

"DEMON KING!"

Some of the churchgoers cry out towards me, all of them brandishing their weapons towards me.

"WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED!" One of them cried out. "SURRENDER-"

*BANG*

*THUD*

From one [Stone Spike] to the head later, the whole scene of carnage I went and broke through goes dead silent.

**"... What?"** I pointed out.** "Why are you all gawking at me for!? Get back to killing each other already!"**

The scene then goes back to how it was, by that, I mean a lot of deaths.

**"Alright, time to execute phase four." **I stated. **"But first..."**

I snap my fingers, signaling the entirety of the [Berserk Corps] to action, and push back the opposition.

**"Good."** I remarked.** "Now for time for phase four-"**

"NAN!" I heard Rino's voice coming from the rooftops surrounded by a bunch of suicidal bastards. "A LITTLE HELP!?"

**"Consider it done!" **I stated as I snapped my fingers. **"GET EM', [KENKUS]!"**

From the night sky, several [Kenkus] descend from above, picking off several idiots before moving in and retrieving Rino, Genbu, and [Stygian] from the rooftops and down towards me.

I then fire my [Grimoire Heart] towards the evacuated building, causing it to implode with my [Gale Bomb].

**"Sorry if I was late."** I apologized.** "Had to make sure that no one else was alive in the whole city."**

"Yeah, we noticed." Rino grumbled. "And regarding the whole reason why the [Three Heroes Church] are here..."

**"... The bloody map was outdated." **Genbu stated. **"Turns out that there were sewers running through the place, who knew?"**

... You know what? I'm not even mad.

In fact, this actually makes the situation even _better_, in my opinion.

**"The map is useless at this point." **I remarked as I threw the now-outdated map into the flames. **"More importantly, anyone hurt?"**

A severed human head lands on my lap.

**"... I'll take that as a no." **I remarked. **"Regardless, we better not linger around for much longer. Rino! Tell everyone to clear out! I'm bringing in the ****Calvary!"**

"Got it!" Rino stated as she relayed the message to the others. "EVERYONE! CLEAR THE WAY! RETREAT! RETREAT!"

The [Blood-Oath Zealots] break away from their engagement, I spot Garou and Fubuki helping out an armored mercenary with a little girl escape, and special mention to Genbu, who just by simply opening his flask, the fumes of his tire fire-scented booze immediately knocks out Glass from her [Wrath Fan 3] form right before Rino caught her in her arms as she and [Stygian] made their way to the remaining rooftops.

"DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY!" The churchgoers cried out. "AFTER THE HERETICS-"

*BANG*

*THUD*

... I think my magic gun might be my favorite source of radio silence.

Regardless, for the churchgoers, it was_ too late_.

**"RUN THEM DOWN!" **I roared out towards my coming "Calvary".

... Which not only includes my aforementioned [Berserk Corps], but now it's newest editions, consisting of 9 [Dragonewts], 100 [Hellhounds], 3 [Nues], 6 Vulture [Kenkus], and a _subway-train-sized _serpent [Basilisk].

How did I get those? Well, it turned out that there was an elaborate tunnel system that connected to other coliseums, with me finding a [Basilisk] in a suspended cage as the "Feature Presentation". The rest were just slavers, handlers, and civilians, that I turned with my [Sacrifical Dagger], with the special exception of the [Hellhounds].

Poor bastards were starving in their cages, so I had them track down the rest of Oligarchs running Zeltoble, and well, fed them.

And of course, the rest were put to either torch, or eaten.

... Or _both_, but in my defense, it doesn't count as cannibalism it you aren't the same species. Just ask Napoleon from Animal Farm (the pig-demihuman noble that tried to buy Rio back then) that I just _ate_. Only like, a piece, though.

And to my great shame, he tasted really good. Like literal boar meat I had back when I was a kid back in South Korea.

**"CHARGE! TRAMPLE THEM UNDERFOOT!" **I roared out as I led the stampede on my [Kelpie].

Now normally, sane people would run from seeing a horde of man-eating creatures coming towards them. But these guys?

"KILL THEM!" They roared out. "KILL THE DEMON KING!"

... And I call myself _suicidal_.

So instead of telling you the general details of the next orgy of blood and gore that happened to those suicidal bastards in the next minute, I'll just give you all a highlight reel featuring the most standout moments of the carnage.

The [Minotaurs] goring several lunatics with their horns like kebabs.

The [Basilisk] melting down their whole bodies with its [Corrosive Breath].

The [Hellhounds] ripping apart one guy like a freshly-killed prey, pack by pack.

The [Dragonewts] and the [Lizardmen] punching through their torsos with their scaly fists.

The [Nues] biting their heads off as they ate them like Titans from Attack on Titan.

The [Kenkus] fighting over a single guy as they slowly draw and quarter him midair.

The [Golem] performing a _tombstone piledriver_ onto one guy into a group of several guys.

The [Cu Sith] bit a guy in his balls before working his way up to his upper torso.

The [Kelpie] mule-kicking some wiseguy trying to get the jump on me, tearing off his entire lower jaw from his face.

The [Werelions] and [Werebears] clawing through several guys, with special mention to a certain [Werelion] that bit through a guy's sword like a stale pretzel stick before snapping his neck with its fangs, and a shout-out to a [Werebear] that sat on one guy so hard that his head popped like a pimple.

And I myself, turn one of them into a [Power], the lowest of the Second Sphere Angels, right before shoving a barrel of my gun into another guy's mouth before blowing his head off with a [Volt Bomb].

... Simply put, it was _no contest_.

A literal one-sided _massacre_, with the churchgoers being the unfortunate victims.

However, there were still more of them, still coming out of the holes engraved into the earth, like, as in, literally, they were like termites out of woodwork.

**"Uhh, just one question!"** I asked the fresh reinforcements out of the blue.** "Why aren't you guys retreating? I mean, I enjoy killing you creeps, like, for reals, but c'mon! A man can only take so much before he runs away from a face of power like your's truly!"**

"JUST WHAT DOES A DEMON LIKE YOU KNOW ABOUT US HUMANS!?" Their leader retorted. "IF A FACE OF EVIL SHOWS ITSELF, DO WE HUMANS RUN AWAY? NAY! WE OF THE FOLLOWERS OF THE [THREE CARDINAL HEROES] MUST FOLLOW THEIR EXAMPLE! WE WILL NOT FALTER! WE WILL NOT RETREAT! AND WE WILL NOT RELENT TO AN EVIL LIKES OF YOU!"

... I then began clapping my hands, _sarcastically_.

**"Oscar Award-winning speech right there, Mr. Soon-to-be-Dead-Man."** I sardonically stated in my most deadpan tone possible.** "But you do realize that you and your flock of sheep are looking like total idiots, right?"**

"WE SHALL SEE WHOEVER'S THE FOOL-"

*BANG*

*THUD*

... Another moment of radio silence, courtesy of my [Frost Arrow] shutting him up. I'm honestly getting really good at this, and I _fucking_ love it.

**"... No seriously, one _final_ warning."** I stated at most _seriousnes_s.** "Turn back while you still can if you wish to live, because as far as I'm concerned, _suicide_ is the _coward's_ way out."**

None move a muscle. All of them, all of them, still drew their blades, feet planted to the ground, gazes like the sheen of polished steel and tempered iron.

... I sigh out in disappointment.

**"Don't say I didn't warn you."** I remarked.** "Execute phase four."**

The ground around the idiotic martyrs began to bloat, right before half-rotten limbs burst out of the ground, grabbing their legs and crawling their way to their necks.

... Oh right, and about my ignorance of there being sewers underneath Zeltoble? And that working to my favor?

Yeah, my surprise undead horde that I secretly ordered Yaelia to create now has to work less to make their way into the city depths.

And the best part? Those churchgoers and their [Blessed-] weapons?

... The undead basically have an [Empress]'s protection, meaning regular anti-undead measures won't do shit to them. And yes, Yaelia's "protection" can also spread to other corpses.

Meaning I have [Anointed] undead from the clergymen that Yaelia's [Zombies] and [Skeletons] have killed, meaning that [Light] magic and attacks won't do shit to them.

Combined that with the fact that the clergymen carry nothing but [Blessed] weapons and only teach [Light] magic... Yeah, do the math.

**"I warned you." **I remarked to the mob of clergymen currently being devoured by the [Light]-immune undead. **"... But this is what happens when people don't listen to reason."**

After moments of flesh and sinew being chewed and flayed, standing before me, once, a brainwashed cult of [Hero]-worshipping churchgoers have turned into my legion of [The Anointed Children].

**"[Renowned Conqueror] Title, unlocked." **My HUD announced.

**[Renowned Conqueror]**

**"I have gathered an army of people from all walks of life. We shall walk towards the future we share."**

**+100 to All Stats when equipping a [Legion]**

Boo-yah. Plan went off without a hitch.

**"Alright everyone, listen up!" **I roared out. **"Before phase five begins, I got a few things to announce! Rino, I entrust these mob of spookies to you, sop treat them well, you hear?"**

"Uh... Yeah, sure." Rino awkwardly stated as I handed the control of [The Anointed Children] to her in my HUD.

**"Alright then, second!"** I roared out.** "... We're going to need a few things for our journey, so... feel free to sack the entire city, but try not to take too long, you hear?"**

All of them scatter around the city, taking whatever's not nailed down and putting em into sacks.

Now all was around me were a city in flames, and the unconscious Glass, now laying down behind my saddle.

I take a moment to breathe in, and let it out, all in order for me to calm myself down from my little power high.

"... Ugh." I groaned out as I slouched my head forward. "That was friggin' exhausting."

**"You tell me, kiddo..."** Grimm remarked as he woke up.** "I thought it was supposed to get easier..."**

"It doesn't." I grimly pointed out. "Quite the opposite, it's just getting harder. The opposition is becoming more willing, the obstacles will become harder to surmount, and each passing day of inhaling the ashes of my victims are going to continually damage both my body and soul."

**"But we can't quit, right?" **Grimm pointed out.

I then recall what I said to L'Arc several hours back. That the reason why kept spilling blood is to ensure the blood I've spilled beforehand doesn't go in vain.

... Funny how _I'm_ the one having second thoughts about spilling blood. Because no matter how things turn out in the end, I'll still have the memories of me butchering countless people with sadistic glee.

All the lives that I took... All the lives I've condemned to the eternal fires of the underworld, all in pursuit of my ideals and dreams...

... Do I still think about it? Will my actions haunt me for the rest of my life.

"... Ugh, no use thinking about it." I dismissively remarked. "What's done is done, why am I going to lose sleep over assholes that deserved to die? Aren't I doing this because they deserve it?"

**"They did, but they themselves think they sure as hell don't." **Grimm pointed out. **"Death's a funny thing. Anyone can do it, but not everyone can accept it."**

"Fair enough." I sighed out. "... We're in this for the long haul anyway."

Behind me, Glass wakes up.

"... Ugh, my head." Glass groaned out as she floated down from my [Kelpie]. "... Since when the hell did you get a blackeye?"

"It's a long story." I sheepishly remarked.

**Switching POV: ****Church Survivor**

... Unbelievable.

It was unbelievable that they were outwitted by the Demon King. Their carefully laid plan to ambush his forces of evil and wipe them from the face of the earth, only to be struck from behind and massacred by the very things that they were supposed to have divine protection against.

Undid by undead, by all things.

Inconceivable. Simply inconceivable.

Forced to play dead, got stabbed in the back three times, each puncture he was forced to endure in order to get the chance to avenge her comrades.

... Cowardly as it is, it was necessary. For if the Demon King continues to tread this world, then the people in it will continue to suffer.

"It must be done..." She told herself. "All sacrifices made up to this point cannot be in vain..."

In the deepest depths of the sewers, a giant [Obelisk] stood before her. In her hands, a [Three Heroes Church Crucifix], its single gem glowing.

"... I will avenge my comrades." She told herself. "... I WILL KILL THE DEMON KING!"

The [Obelisk] then unseals itself, reacting to the gem embedded in the rosary.

A long-sealed demonic beast, **The King of the Underdark** that the sewers were built upon, the **Undead God** that breaches the boundaries of life and death, the **Life-Ender**, and the **Apex Abomination** that the [Three Heroes Chruch] has sealed away into the kingdom that it once ruled.

Standing before the trembling lamb was the drooling, pulsating, and _vilest_ undead that the festering pits of creation can muster.

Before her was [Torog], in its crawling, squirming, and otherworldly form, sputtering out bile and vomit from its half-rotten and half-stitched mouth.

The woman only had one thing to say to the abomination.

"DESTROY THE DEMON KING!" She roared out as she drew out her [Blessed Spear] with her rosary to ward off the foul construct.

The creature squeals before making it's way up to the surface, where the Demon King that took all of her friends away from her.

In exhaustion, she falls onto her back, laughing.

"... God, if you can hear this insignificant lamb, forgive thy transgression." She prayed. "... For in order to destroy evil, I've committed a greater evil-"

Above her, the crawling abomination falls back underground slammed down by a massive beam of searing light, squirming and flailing like a crying infant before it douses her in sewage upon impact.

She and the fell beast fall further down into the [Underdark], breaking through several layers of stone and reaching bedrock, covered in dust and gravel.

"... W-W-Wh-Wha-What?" She stuttered out in utter disbelief as she saw the abomination that took the utmost of the [Three Heroes Church]'s efforts to even seal the beast...

... ONLY FOR THE DEMON KING TO SET HIS FEET UPON IT'S SEARED CORPSE AS THE _VICTOR_!?

**"Welp, that was a good workout."** The Demon King vocalized.** "It seems that every time I try to regret my actions, there's always something around me to reconsider my pity for these plebeians. I'm honestly feel a little insulted."**

"... W-WHY!?" She screeched out. "HOW THE HELL DID YOU MANAGED TO KILL AN UNDEAD GOD!?"

The Demon King jumps down next to her, right before crouching aside her.

**"Because an undead god is still a god, pumpkin." **The Demon King boasted. **"That, and well, look up."**

Silhouetted against the full moon was a winged whale-like creature.

A [Bahamut], the king of all [Dragons], said to be the envoys of God themselves, siding with a Demon.

**"You know, there is a song I used to sing back home when things made no sense."** The Demon King stated.** "Ahem, here we go."**

Oh God, please kill this suffering sheep _now-_

**Everything you know is wrong**

**Black is white, up is down and short is long**

**And everything you thought was just so important doesn't matter**

**Everything you know is wrong**

**Just forget the words and sing along**

**All you need to understand is**

**Everything you know is wrong**

"PLEASE JUST KILL ME!" She screeched out as the song continued to grate against her brain like fine steel file. "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! STOP SINGING!"

Her cries and pleas of mercy then devolves into mad laughter as the Demon King continues with his outright _tortuous_ singing.

Eventually, the Demon King ceases singing after finishing with his song that absolutely made no sense.

"... Ple-_hehehe_-ease." She half-chuckled out in her fits of madness and despair. "Kil-_hilhilhil_ me_hehehehehe_... Ple-_hehehehe_-ease..."

**"Ehhhh... _No_."**

An evil-looking shiv embeds into her chest as the Demon King smiled at her like an _angel_.

**"How about community service... for the rest of your life."**

Her soul was now being taken over from the inside.

Her innermost demons were literally clawing her way through her body as maggots would devour their way out of a carcass.

Herself was _a_ becoming a reality.

Herself _wasn't_ real.

Herself was _never_ human.

**INVOCATION SUCCESSFUL**

**TAKEOVER COMPLETE**

**WELCOME [ANGEL]**

... She was an [Angel]. Not a human named "Jezebel".

And before her was Nan Hon-Jah, her new master.

... Her new_ God_.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

"... Shame we couldn't recruit an undead god, but hey, I guess we finally got all of them, right old man!?"

**"Unbelievable indeed..." **Gaelion remarked. **"... To think she would be driven to take such action in the first place."**

"Well, she's free now." I pointed out to my newest edition to my ever-growing family, Astarte, the [Angel]. "No longer a sinful human, but a pure creature."

**"... Sure, let's go with that."**

I had Astarte fly me out of the dark pits below, leaving behind the massive whale-sized corpse of some sort of meat-centipede with a massive hole burnt through its chest.

... I dunno. It's been forever since I played DnD, so I can barely recognize the creature.

"Hey Gaelion?" I asked. "... That [Lunar Megaflare] that you did. It was fucking _rad_."

**"Oh no no no, I have you to thank."** Gaelion replied.** "Not only you let me fly above the clouds to keep an eye on you, but also for calling for my aid when such an abomination was unleashed upon this world."**

"Hey." I replied. "... They say no [Hero] fights alone. Couldn't do it without you guys."

**"Appreciated, benefactor." **Gaelion thanked me. **"... By the way, may I take that corpse to my wife as a wedding gift? I mean, it's almost out 342nd anniversary since we first copulated." **

"... You sure you won't get tainted by it?" I asked. "I mean, look at that thing..."

... I swear, it moved.

**"Fret not."** Gaelion reassured.** "My [Emperor] status will ward me from all curses that may befall upon any normal beast."**

"Just be sure that Wyndia doesn't get caught up in it..." I remarked as I landed on the surface once more, met by a pissed-off Glass.

"... Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just dropkick your ass back into the hole." Glass gritted out.

"The map I had with me was outdated." I replied. "And I don't even know how the calendars work here."

Glass lets out a sigh before _hugging_ me.

"... Close enough." She stated. "Come on. Others are waiting."

"Ladies first." I stated as I led Glass ahead.

As she walked ahead towards the [Blood-Oath Zealots] and the [Berserk Corps], all gathering looted objects, foods, and a lot of treasure that literally have no other purpose other than to bribe and tempt others.

... The real disturbing part of this? Barely three bales of wheat.

"Ugh..." I sighed out. "... It'll do. We'll simply forage, as usual."

Of course burning down an entire city-state and get away with looting literally everything would be too easy.

"Okay, fuck this." I remarked. "Everyone, cover your ears. Just don't ask why, just do it if you wish to live."

They all reluctantly cover their ears as I did with mine, right before I relayed the orders to the rest of my party members around the surrounding perimeter to do the same.

**[Executing phase five. All party members, shut your ears, that's an order.] **I ordered Gaelion through my comms. **[Commence cleanup. Use [Elysium Elegy].]**

**Switching POV: Gaelion**

It was an odd sensation for this [Bahamut Emperor], that's for sure.

Once a renowned [Dragon Emperor], unopposed by many before being dethroned by a [Hero]'s [Filolial Queen], now once-humbled into a father figure for a dog-demihuman girl that he took under his wing, almost meeting his sudden end by the [Sword Hero] before he was intervened by the [Tome Hero], reunited with his wife, now an undead, and now, he'd reached the pinnacle beyond his wildest dreams.

All [Dragons] dreamt of becoming a [Bahamut], a holy [Dragon] said to be the envoys of the gods residing in the stars.

... Now he _was_ one, ready to finally sing his long-awaited _victory ballad_.

The full moon behind him was now his limelight.

All of his wings spread out far and wide as it could.

He inhales a deep gulp of oxygen...

... And then let out his [Elysium Elegy].

The sonorous cry that echoes through air, land, and waters. A holy cry that makes the stars above the skies stop moving, the waves of a raging ocean to come to a dead lull...

... And for all unprepared hearts of man, to _stop beating_.

The pinnacle has been reached. He's now surpassed his past, reckless self.

He has surpassed the heavens, he's surpassed the pain that humbled him.

... And at the bottom of his heart, he had the [Tome Fallen], his wife and adopted daughter, and their newfound family to thank.

**"The Heavens shall immortalize thy names, my benefactors..."** Gaelion declared.** "Nay... My _family_."**

He continues to sing, in hopes of liberating those who've been corrupted by this ruined and broken world, that their souls can finally find peace beyond the mortal coil that've tainted them in the first place.

The song continued to resonated throughout the lands, as the final lullaby to those who've been awake from their suffering.

**"... ****Rest In Peace, Little Lambs."**

And with that, the elegy for the redeemed came to an end.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

**[It's finished.]**

I then let out a sigh as I uncovered my ears.

**[Okay, everyone, you can let go now.]** I relayed the message.

Everyone behind me uncovers their ears.

"... So, what happened?" Glass asked me.

I just simply wave my hand towards me as [Kelpie] (who buried his head into a shallow hole) lowered himself to let me and Glass mount.

"I think it's best if I show you." I remarked as I rode out of the city, with the others following me.

We eventually reach the outskirts of the city, and into the forest, we find several remaining [Church Soldiers], all of them...

... Lying dead on the dirt.

"... Okay, some of them are asleep, technically." I stated. "But considering that [Elysium Elegy] puts them to sleep permanently, well, they might as well be dead."

I dismount and stab one of them with my [Sacrificial Dagger], [Invoking] an [Archangel].

Then I kept going, getting another [Angel].

Then a [Principality].

And another [Archangel].

And another, and another, and another-yeah you get the idea.

I amassed enough [Angels], [Archangels], and [Principalities] to form a legion of their own.

Behold the brand new [Elysium Evangelion Euphorias]. Cheesy? Yes. Fitting? Debatable. Out of my fucking gourd for thinking such name in the first place?

... Yep, I'm losing my mind.

"... Eh, you know what, let's just skip to the good part." I sighed out as I gave the control of the [Elysium Evangelion Euphorias] to Fubuki (don't ask why). "You there in the armor, is everyone here accounted for?"

"Why are you asking me?" The knight with the clawed mitts asked while speaking like John DiMaggio. "And who the hell are you?"

"The guy who started the fire." I replied. "And the guy who's going to make sure that city is completely wiped off the map. You okay with that?"

"... Eh, good enough." The knight remarked.

"That's the cue then." I remarked before I dug through the comms. "Rubicante!"

The [Iblis] appears before me in a pillar of flames.

**"Yes, sultan?" **

"Execute phase six." I ordered. "Burn that shithole of a city to the ground."

**"Acknowledged."**

My Islam version of actual-Satan flies towards the now-ruined city, finishing the job that we've started. And by that, set the rest of the city and any possible survivors on fire.

Because there's no better fire, then [Hellfire].

"... So while the city burns, can I get a few things cleared up with you guys?" I asked the group behind me. "First of all..."

I point towards the mole-nosed knight.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?" I asked. "... But no, seriously, I'm grateful for your help and all, but I kinda made a personal policy to not trust sentient people post-third [Wave]."

The mole-knight then gives me a look before speaking.

"... So you're the [Dark Architect]?" The mole-knight asked. "I would say that you look shorter in person, but considering that you're the commanding that fire demon that's currently burning the rest of Zeltoble down, I'm just going to keep my mouth shut and just say that I'm grateful that you freed my daughter."

"Wait, what?" I replied before looking at the mole-girl. "... Little girl, just curious, but what's your name?"

"... I-Imia."

Then it hit me like a speeding truck-kun.

So if I remember the canon story from the original web novel properly, Naofumi actually goes to Zeltoble to get additional slaves/paid hires to repopulate his village after the whole "Justice Zombie" incident. Alongside with the orca lady and the Hakuko siblings, Imia was one of the four that Naofumi bought.

... Oh god, where's the orca chick?

"Ohhhhhhohoho... everything's coming together in a mixed result..." I groaned out before I looked at the mole-knight. "... And I take it that you're her father?"

"I said so before, didn't I?" He replied.

"That's just me being sure." I replied. "Like I said, I made it a policy to not to trust people post-third [Wave], but things have become... shall we say, more complicated."

"How so?" The mole-knight asked.

"The mere fact that the [Three Heroes Church] finally acknowledge me as threat greater than the [Shield Hero] revealed two things." I explained. "One, the [Shield Hero] is no longer on top of their priorities, meaning that they'll refocus all their efforts to come and attack me. And two, in the political situation of Melromarc, a line in the sand has been drawn. Either support the efforts to kill me and family for this new crusade, or support the continued efforts to destroyed the now-clearly debunked-threat known as the [Shield Hero]. Either way, this presents both a boon and bane for us. Upside, Melromarc just took its first step of destroying itself from the inside, but the downside, expect more people to come after us, and we cannot be certain if they'll adapt to my wit or remain stubborn in their traditions, but regardless, this whole new situation is now a powder keg with a lit fuse."

"Meaning?" The mole-knight asked.

"... I'd like you to join me." I stated. "With those church bastards now intensifying their sweeps across the continents, you and your striking out on your own will likely result in getting singled out, blackmailed, and the whole situation as a whole is one foot into being completely FUBAR/Fucked Up Beyond All Repair, unless, we form a united front."

"I could hold me bloody own." The mole-knight dismissively stated.

"The Church doesn't need to kill you." I retorted. "They'll anyone weak enough as long as they're not human."

"... You're implying that those church psychopaths are after my daughter?" He pointed out.

"At least with me, I can at least provide refuge." I stated. "Three meals a day, a roof over your girl's head, and not to mention, I sort of acquired a mobile mountain as my base of operations."

The mole-knight looks at me with a glare before sighing out.

"Alright, but as soon as this is all over, I'm returning to Siltvelt with my daughter." He grumbled out. "I've away on a war for as my girl was born, and those five years have all but destroyed all four of my marriages."

... So is that why Imia has four last names? Is that how naming conventions even work?

"I can at least promise you that much, Mr..."

"Bah, call me Spitznagel." The mole-knight remarked. "Spitznagel Swartzritter. Let my wives keep their surnames."

Out of curiosity, I kinda checked for his stats with [Analyze].

**Name: Spitznagel Swartzritter**

**Class: [Warlord]**

**Level: 112**

**Affinity: [Fire] & [Earth]**

**Alignment: True Neutral**

**Equipment: [Magma Mitts], [Garnet Earth Armor], [Smelting God's Helm], [Burning Visor: Vulcan]**

**Attack: 135 (+250)**

**Defence: 189 (+350)**

**Agility: 70**

**Luck: 100**

**HP: 1,700 (+500)**

**MP: 500 (+100)**

... Holy shit man. I thought normal people can barely pass level 40.

Guess he's the best one that money can buy, I mean look at his stats!

"Welcome aboard!" I welcomed Spitznagel. And for the record, I sort of roughly translated his name from German, meaning "Sharp Nail Black Knight".

... That is easily the most kickass name I've ever heard, and quite apt, too.

"Oh, it would be just magical if this day kept getting better!" I remarked.

From a distance, I spot a familiar flash coming from the foliage.

Someone was evolving.

"COME ON!" I shouted out as I mounted my [Kelpie].

We rode through the bushes and trees, and two glows coming from the clearing.

One was coming from Yaelia.

... The other being _Wyndia_.

"What." I flatly remarked.

Then the glows from both of them cease, evolving into their new forms.

For Yaelia, my former [Wyrmlich], her entire skeleton was now chrome-ivory rather than gunmetal-black, her runes and eyes were now gold in color rather than turquoise/aquamarine. Her horns now doubled in length and amount, now sporting a crown of four horns, and at the center of her forehead was a glowing red gem, her [Empress Core] now being the [Soul Jewel].

Yaelia, once-[Wyrmlich] was now a [Shiryu], spelled in **[死竜]**, meaning "Death Dragon", which, by the way...

... FUCKING METAL.

As for Wyndia, she herself had the most drastic change. Her hair, once dark-red auburn, now jet-black with a single streak of blood red reminiscent of a wisp of flame, her canine teeth were now slightly elongated, her skin was now Hades-shaded to a mid-dark tan, and her eyes, once green-blue, now a bright topaz, making her look absolutely hellish, but oddly alluring, like some sort of a demonic temptress.

Makes sense, for now she was no longer a [Dog Demihuman], but now a fucking [Garmr], the Nordic Hellhounds of Helheim.

... Explains why her appearance now matches her bloodlust.

"Okay, okay..." I tried to hold in my excitement. "... How?"

Wyndia points the completely-fleshbarren skeleton that looks like a cross between a humanoid giant and a mountain-sized centipede.

"... Did you let-GAELION!"

The [Bahamut Emperor] shows himself in his humanlike appearance.

"... Did you honestly let her eat a fucking undead god?" I asked the sweating [Bahamut Emperor].

"She was insistent." Gaelion sheepishly remarked. "... I cannot resist the puppy-dog eyes of my own daughter."

I let a deep breath in before exhaling.

"... You know what?" I remarked. "I'm too tired to be even angry at this point."

I then turn around as ride away.

"Come on, everyone, let's all go back home."

And so, as my party/family regrouped, we left behind the burning city-state of Zeltoble, with all of its inhabitants dead, and it's vile legacy now wiped off the face of this earth.

We came in with flames in our heart.

We exit with victory cries that echoed throughout the land.

**"[Great Scourge] Title unlocked."**

**[Great Scourge]**

**"Tear the lands asunder as the skies burn and the seas boil. That is destruction at its purest."**

**[YOU ARE NOW ON YOUR OWN]**

**[THE REMAINING KINGDOMS WILL NOW BE YOUR SWORN ENEMY]**

**[GIVE EM HELL SENPAI]**

**+1,000 to All Stats to all party members when attacking a [Kingdom].**

**If Party total Stat Exceed the total sum of [1,000,000], then apply -1,000 to all enemy-[Kingdom] affiliated units's overall stats.**

... It's as if the [Title] itself is begging me to take over this whole world.

World Conquest? Yeah. Doesn't sound so bad at all. At least this way, I get to start my own real estate business for the inhabitants of the other world.

Because I'm going to need any excuse to kill these ingrates that crawl around this world, and sure enough, I got my permit right here.

"Um, master."

Next to me, I spot Byakko.

"What is it?" I asked.

"You're level 80 now, correct?"

I nod.

My butler then lets out a sigh before speaking.

"... I think it's time to let you in more of your predecessor's legacies."

**Switching POV: Palomar Polnareff**

It was an arduous journey back home.

From the seas to Siltvelt, from Siltvelt and towards Faubley, the sky pirate has returned home from his admittedly-disastrous journey from Q'Ten Lo, hopefully being the last time that they were spared from seeing the curse ever again.

Out by the main deck, the captain of _L'tempete_ looked towards the sunrise, with his crew finally being able to rest.

**"_Capitaine_!"**

The helmsman comes towards the captain by the deck's railing with the jarred sample in hand.

**"We finally figured out what this curse is!"** The helmsman stated.** "It's the [Corvid Curse]!"**

**"Is there a cure for this?"** Palomar asked the helmsman.

**"We're currently working on an antibody as we speak."** The helmsman happily announced.** "It should take around a few months-"**

Suddenly, the whole ship was beset upon by a strong gust of wind.

**"TUBULANCE!"** The ship's PA system blared out.** "ALL HANDS! SECURE! SECURE!"**

Amidst the rocking, the helmsman trips over himself, dropping the jar as it rolled off the edge of the ship's railings, before it plunged towards the ground below.

The helmsman and the captain exchange looks in utter silence.

**"... Tell the crew that we're about to run into a massive problem."** Palomar stated.** "Also, contact 'clock man' to prepare for fallout measures."**

**"_OUI CAPITAINE_!"**

The helmsman runs back into the ship, leaving the captain be.

**"... Well, it's been nice knowing you, Faubley."** Palomar dryly remarked. **"I would say _au revoir_, but instead... _mange de la _****_merde_."**

* * *

**_To Be Continued..._**

* * *

**Author's Notes: **And so, an entire Kingdom/City-State of Zeltoble has been reduced to an arid flat of land.

Got two new [Legions], [The Anointed Children], and the [Elysium Evangelion Euphorias].

Not to mention, a strong ally has been secured, and the whole campaign against the whole world has begun on a mixed, yet bright note.

A lot of levels have been earned, a lot of new monsters have been recruited to the cause, and Nan's now considered a viable enough threat for them to finally ignore the [Shield Hero].

... And the outbreak of a foreign curse has begun from a simple turbulence.

Welp, the world's fucked either way, so might as well go both ways, right?

Also, for [Bahamut Emperor]'s [Elysium Elegy], look up the Climax Song from Symphogear.

* * *

**_Current Party Members:_**

* * *

**Name: [Great Scourge], Nan Hon-Jah**

**Class: [Tome Fallen]**

**Level: 80**

**Affinity: [All Eight Elements] & [Ten Primordial Sins]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Mad**

**Equipment: ****[Forbidden Tome, Grimm the Heretic], [Grimoire Heart], [Lemegeton], [****Sibylline****], [Necromancer's Robes], [Mire Boots], [Wight's Rune of Spite], [Silver Wolf's Maw], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Visage of Madness], [Mystic Geas: Puppeteer], [Portable Dragon's Hourglass], [Slayer's Rusted Plate Armor]**

**Legion: [Berserk Corps]**

**Attack: 95 (+195)**

**Defense: 92 (+40)**

**Agility: 90 (+35)**

**Luck: 85 (+45)**

**HP: 700 (+105)**

**MP: 820 (+305)**

* * *

**Name: Garou**

**Class: [Brawler]**

**Level: 84**

**Affinity: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Assassin's Leather Armor], [Nightshroud], [Blade Gauntlets], [Primal Claws], [Katars]**

**Attack: 107 (+50)**

**Defense: 75 (-20)**

**Agility: 115 (+65)**

**Luck: 61 (+20)**

**HP: 910 (+20)**

**MP: 360 (-100)**

* * *

**Name: Fubuki**

**Class: [Monk]**

**Level: 83**

**Affinity: [Ice]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Twilight Gunstaff], [Darkbane Gauntlets], [Twilight Cloak], [Twilight Hunter's Hood], [Mana Medallion]**

**Legion: [Elysium Evangelion Euphorias]**

**Attack: 94 (+45)**

**Defense: 67 (+30)**

**Agility: 104 (+25)**

**Luck: 96 (+20)**

**HP: 630 (-50)**

**MP: 1,020 (+100)**

* * *

**Name: Genbu**

**Class: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Affinity: None**

**Alignment: ?**

**Equipment: [Wayward Nomad's Garbs], [Silver Pocket Watch & Chain], [Silver Shortsword], [Silver Buckler], [Fafnir's Flametongue]**

**Attack: ?**

**Defense: ?**

**Agility: ?**

**Luck: 9,999**

**HP: ?**

**MP: ?**

* * *

**Name: Rino**

**Class: [Assassin]**

**Level: 75**

**Affinity: [Earth]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Brave Compound Bow], [Spark Dagger], [Steel Throwing Knives x20], [Assassin's Cloak], [Shadow Mufflers], [Silent Step Sandals]**

**Legion: [The Anointed Children]**

**Attack: 82 (+80)**

**Defense: 50 (+10)**

**Agility: 108 (+120)**

**Luck: 97 (+90)**

**HP: 450 (+40)**

**MP: 400 (+40)**

* * *

**Name: Glass**

**Class: [Phantom Fan Saint]**

**Level: 93**

**Affinity: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Sacred Fans], [Kimono of Mourning], [Pristine Visage]**

**Legion: [Blood-Oath Zealots]**

**Attack: 108 (+50)**

**Defense: 87 (+70)**

**Agility: 129 (+50)**

**Luck: 59 (+100)**

**HP: 820 (+200)**

**MP: 890 (+250)**

* * *

So what do you guys think of this Epic?

Will Nan's conquest succeed with a literal army of monsters?

Will the [Corvid Curse] ravage the through the whole continent like the fucking Black Death?

And are the naming conventions used throughout this Epic cool or stupid? Or both?

Please leave a comment or a review, for I'd love to know what my audience are thinking!


	29. Epic 28: The Reaffirmation

**_Commencing Second Cour of Chronicles of the Wayward Tome Hero._**

**_(Still) Waiting for Season 2..._**

**_Finger Count: 5/10_**

**_Eye Count: 2/2_**

**_Arm Count: 1/2_**

**_Leg Count: 1/2_**

**_Sanity Meter: 26%_**

**_Death Counter: 36_**

**_Let's burn it all to the ground._**

* * *

_**Epic 28: The Reaffirmation**_

* * *

**Switching POV: Suzaku**

For the little [Red Filolial Emperor], it was a good past few hours after they've successfully burnt down an entire city built upon tears of oppressed people, and the laughter of the fat rich people on top of the below.

... Granted, he never got to set a building on fire, but he at least contributed to the whole cause.

So now with more mouths to feed, and human flesh being in surplus (apparently, the [Blood-Oath Zealots] no longer have qualms in cannibalism, as long as they get to eat something), all was well in the world for this young Filolial...

... Except for one part that has been bothering him ever since he's hatched from his egg.

"I need to get stronger." Suzaku remarked over the dining table.

The others looked at him in confusion.

"Aren't you already strong enough?" Rio pointed out as she ate her eggs. "I mean, you're practically ten Levels higher than me, and no, I wasn't slouching."

"I know." Suzaku replied. "But 'strong enough' isn't enough."

"What do you mean by that?" Seiryu asked. "I mean, we were fucking badasses last night, and it's not like we had any close calls."

"If anything, it was kinda sad on how they kinda fell apart before us." Garou pointed out as he took a bite out of his meat.

"I know." Suzaku replied again. "... But I get the feeling that it won't be enough."

"How so?" Fubuki asked.

Suzaku sighs as he puts down his spoon.

"Did you guys know I was born as a runt?" Suzaku pointed out. "My Filolial form is the size of a common poultry bird, too small and weak to pull even a cart, so I stick to my current form so I can be of use to Nan."

"... Yeah, but to be fair, you didn't too badly against those undead back at our very first [Wave]." Seiryu pointed out.

"I know, but like I said, I fear that it won't be enough." Suzaku pointed out. "We're strong, for sure. But after what we did last night?"

Rino drops her spoon into the porridge that she was eating.

"... You're thinking that the whole world's after our asses, then." Rino pointed out.

Suzaku nods.

"... I just don't think we can outlast them." Suzaku stated. "Sure, we can take them on one at a time, but what's stopping them from attacking all of us at the same time?"

"Doubt it." Fohl replied with certainty. "Methinks that they're going to tear themselves apart first before we can have a go at any of em. Or at least, that's what I can think of after hearing from my father said about the other countries."

"Now that I think about, even if they all suddenly commit a coup and get their priorities straight, their respective countries will be weakened by the infighting, so that leaves them vulnerable to not only us, but also the coming [Waves] as well." Rino pointed out. "I mean, my short time with the [Spear Hero] kinda taught me a few things about how the [Waves] work, which is the only good thing that I got from the damned cock-stalion."

Everyone nods in agreement.

"... Still, Suzaku's concerns does hold merit." Fubuki pointed out. "We can no longer afford to slack off, now that we've effectively destroyed an entire city-state overnight."

"So they're gonna come after us? Their funeral, then." Garou remarked. "I think I'll push my regimen to 2,000 push-ups, squats, sit-ups, and boxing drills, just to be on the safe side."

"I'll join you too, big bro!" Fohl blurted out before he shut his mouth with his hands.

The other Hakuko sibling chokes on her food for a brief moment.

"... 'Big bro'? Really, brother?" Atlas snarked out.

All Fohl can do is blush as Garou pats him on his back before he left.

"... Well, that settles it, then." Seiryu stated. "So baby bro, who you're gonna train with?"

"... Rubicante and Aabidah." Suzaku replied. "I need hone my speed stat to the finest edge possible, and those two are the fastest [Summons] under Nan's wing, like I mean, have you seen how quickly Rubicante burnt the rest of that city-state down? And Aabidah herself is a pretty fast flier, so maybe she can help also."

The [Red Filolial King] then walks away towards where the fire-demon was at. An open field of dry earth, where the recent intruders have been impaled and burnt alive just last night.

... That, and well, the [Dryad]'s traps took out the majority of the company who braved the climb upon this forest of death on top of a giant turtle that breathes fire and shits out raw, molten slag from the mountains that it once ate.

God forbid anyone being caught in the latter.

"Hey. Mr. [Iblis]." Suzaku asked the burning demon.

**"... To what may be of your aid, little one?"**

"I want you to train me." Suzaku requested. "Now that we're up against the whole world, I want to make sure that I don't fall behind everyone else."

**"... Hm, an ****admirable cause indeed."** Rubicante replied.** "But here's the question, what kind of strength do you seek? And how do you see yourself getting stronger?"**

The boy thinks on why he wants to become stronger.

... Is it because he was born weak, birthed with a fragile body, only to grow stronger in hopes of lasting long enough to adulthood?

Is it because the enemy is becoming stronger with each encounter, learning their family's strengths and weaknesses, and their next encounter might be their last?

Is it out of love and dedication, the want and need to impress his first witness, Nan, the [Tome Fallen], along with his foster sister, Seiryu, so that his existence may be reaffirmed, and that he may continue living?

_"... It's not just one answer."_ Suzaku thought. _"There is no one answer. I want to keep living for the sake of me, my sis, Nan, and everyone else. I don't want to lose them. I don't want Death to claim them before I do, but I also want to die right in front of them."_

In his search for an answer, he then sees the void on his innermost thoughts and fears.

The reason why Suzaku was born. Why he was able to move. Why he was able to fight. Why he must _kill_.

And why, he must continue to live.

"... I want to outrun Death." Suzaku gave his answer to Rubicante. "I'm so afraid of losing both me and everyone else that I want to be fast enough to make Death stop dead in its tracks."

The [Iblis] muses for a brief moment before answering.

**"... Admirable."** Rubicante stated.** "Normally, when one fears death, it's only reserved to self. But you, little one, you fear that Death may take everyone that you ****know, now that the whole world is after us-give me a second."**

The [Iblis]'s chest plates open up to reveal a skeletal and glowing-hot arm, stretched out and reaching into the foliage behind Suzaku, dragging out a flailing white-clad man wielding a [Blessed Hatchet], trying to hack away the burning hand grasped around his ankle before being held up by the blazing demon.

**"You have ten seconds to explain what you just did, interloper."** Rubicante snarled at the upside down man.

"Y-YOU BASTARDS KILLED MY WIFE!" He screeched out. "YOU MADE HER SACRIFICE IN VAIN!"

**"... And should I care that you tried to take it out on a child?" **The [Iblis] replied.

The man spits at the demon's face, the saliva evaporating on his surface plating.

**"... Well, at least you're honest."**

The [Iblis]'s chest opens up even wider, now with several more skeletal arms emerging from the cavity, all glowing and hissing in intense heat, groping the screaming and flailing man into a compact form before Rubicante devours him whole into his chest before the plates close back up with steam hissing out of the gaps and vents around him.

**"[Zabaniya], bitch."** Rubicante amusedly remarked.** "Also, my ****condolences."**

Suzaku just looks at the man's partially-melted [Blessed Hatchet] on the ground before looking back up at Rubicante.

**"... Your fears have now been proven valid, little one."** Rubicante stated.** "Very well, I shall train you."**

"Can we also bring Aabidah along?" Suzaku requested. "Now I kinda want to be even faster than I wanted now."

**"Understandable, since now, even in spite of our overwhelming power..."**

Rubicante's chest plates open up, spitting out a human skull charred black, right before it shatters into charcoal after hitting the ground.

**"... There are apparently some who refuse to acknowledge us."** Rubicante remarked.** "But we cannot rely on their collective stupidity for our survival for long, for even complete and utter dullards can accomplish some things when they ram their collective heads against us hard enough." **

The two then try to locate the [Ziz] without a word.

On their way towards the peak where the massive bird was, the two run into the remnants of last night's attack, mostly overzealous martyrs and a handful of feckless sellswords trying to collect the big scores.

All of them were immediately devoured by Nan's [Berserk Corps], a legion of perpetually-enraged monsters freed from their coliseum cages, now exacting their revenge against the very world that had tried to defang them, and all the while, trying to eat their long-denied fill.

"So..." Suzaku asked as he ducked his head under a flying torso. "... Do you know how to be really fast?"

**"I have prior experience facing a [Phoenix] once back when I was an [Ifrit]."** Rubicante remarked as he tilted his head away from a flying head.** "Of course, since I lived to tell you the tale, yes, I did in fact, defeat it, and ate it to gain its powers."**

"What's a [Phoenix]?" Suzaku asked.

**"A bird-like monster like Aabidah."** Rubicante pointed out.** "But instead of wind, it embodies and ****manipulates fire at its command. But what makes them so formidable is that they're quite... persistent, as one might put it."**

"How so?" Suzaku asked as he punted a severed human head across the distance, before it was caught by Appi, the resident [Harpy], who then devours it quite messily from her talons.

**"If they die, they burn their own bodies to ashes, and from it, they reemerge anew."** Rubicante answered as he crushed a skull underfoot.** "And before you ask, yes, I ate its ashes, and now the [Phoenix] in question is currently gestating and digesting inside of my bowels, dying and resurrecting inside of me, _forever_, and probably begging for death."**

Suzaku's eyes widen upon hearing those words.

"... That's kinda fucked up, dude."

**"Such is the law of the jungle."** The [Iblis] bluntly pointed out.** "But unlike those 'civilized' mortals that only adhere a faint lip ****service to it, I fully accept the fact that I will be bested eventually."**

"... So I shouldn't get stronger, then?" Suzaku asked in a slightly downtrodden tone. "So I should just wait and die?"

**"No."** Rubicante retorted as he caught a severed head and ate it whole.** "If you truly abide by the law of the jungle, then get stronger. To pursue greater strength is a sign of respect to your betters, that you know that you'll meet your end someday, and that if you were to fall, then they're going to have to earn it. Being weak isn't a sin. Staying weak is."**

The young [Red Filolial King] then takes the [Iblis]'s words to heart.

To purse strength not out of fear of death, but in spite of it.

Granted, no sane person would do or think such thing, but in his defense, sanity itself was overrated.

... That and well, no one in this world was particularly sane to begin with.

**"We're here."**

The two find the massive bird perched on her nest made of wrecked houses on top of the mountain's peak.

**"To what business do you require, little one?" **Aabidah asks Suzaku as her eyes reflects the image of the [Red Filolial King].

"... I want... I want to get stronger." Suzaku answered. "I want to make sure that I want to fast enough to be there for my family. Whether waves of men or monsters, I want to be able to run in before they can get themselves killed. In order to do so, I need help from you as well. I need you to teach me how to be faster! Faster than Death can catch any of my family's lives!"

The [Ziz] steps out of her nest and observes the boy closely, her golden eyes blinking in front of the slightly-trembling boy.

**"... There is a tint of fear in your eyes."** Aabidah remarked.** "Tell me, little one, what are you afraid of?"**

**"The little one claims that he fears death, but not for himself."** Rubicante pointed out.** "But rather, the fear that our master and his fold will eventually fold and perish, henceforth, he seeks greater power to fight those fears, so those fears may never come to pass."**

The young [Red Filolial King] nods in affirmation.

**"... Only natural that one would seek greater power in the face of greater adversity."** Aabidah stated bluntly.** "Very well. I shall humor you, little one. Pray that your body can take it."**

The winds around the [Ziz] begins to stir into a storm as both Aabidah and Rubicante now face down unto the little one, the two now emitting their energy from themselves.

**"Through storm..." **Aabidah chanted.

**"... And ****through flame." **Rubicante chanted along.

**"The ideal vessel shall be forged..."**

**"... To withstand speed in its purest form."**

**"Now take heed, seeker of greater power..."**

**"... As you will now bear this burden upon your shoulders."**

**"Will you stand tall in the face of danger...**

**"... Or fall limp like the others long before you?"**

**"The time to wait is now forever gone..."**

**".. The only way forward is forward."**

**"So welcome, seeker of greater power..."**

**"... To the realm where even gods are left behind in the dust."**

The little one's body then felt like it was being crushed under a_ mountain_. As both the [Ziz]'s and the [Iblis]'s powers coursed through his veins.

He grit his teeth hard as he could, crunching down on his own molars until they started cracking.

His whole skeleton felt like twigs, ready to snap a moment of lapse in concentration.

His head was burning, as if the juices around his brain were beginning to boil his brain like an egg.

Suzaku tries to open his eyes, and only sees the following...

**[Godspeed Strike] Skill learned**

The pressure then suddenly ceases, causing the boy to fall to his knees and breathing like a fish.

**"... You've done well, little one." **Aabidah praised Suzaku.

Suzaku looks at the fire demon and the massive avian.

"D-Did... Did I do it?" Suzaku heaved out.

**"Only the surface has been breached."** Rubicante stated.** "Now, you must dig your heels in deeper."**

Numerous orbs of demonic flame and compressed wind appear around Rubicante and Aabidah.

**"The real test begins." **Both spoke in unison.

**"You now have the power..."**

**"... But can you live long enough to use it proper?"**

Suzaku spits out a wad of blood to the side before replying back with an audacious grin.

"... Like I said."

The boy's power begins to surge through his veins once more, now his mind, body, and soul, cleansed of its sense of fear like a spring breeze, now reinvigorated with newfound resolve.

"I'M OUTRUNNING DEATH, YOU HEAR!?" Suzaku roared out.

The two then nod in acknowledgement.

**"Then get ready to_ run_, little one." **Both Rubicante and Aabidah answered in unison.

The orbs of fire and wind come flying towards Suzaku.

**"[Cluster Hellfire]!"**

**"[Cluster Cutting Gale]!"**

As the rain of projectiles of flame and wind came surging forth, the boy dug his heels into the earth before he sprang into the air.

**"[Godspeed Strike]!"**

The whole world then froze to a standstill as he entered into the world where even the gods are left behind in the dust.

A world of complete and utter stasis, where all motion is frozen to a complete halt...

... Including _himself_.

_"Oh god..."_ Suzaku thought. _"... My body feels so... heavy. Is this what... true speed feels like?"_

Suzaku tries to move out of the way of the frozen projectiles, but only managed to move an _inch_.

_"COME ON, MOVE DAMMIT!"_

Time resumes back to normal, and the young Filolial was sent flying off the earth from the explosion and hits the tree behind him.

**"... Hmm, not bad for your first attempt." **Rubicante mused.

**"So how did the world of perpetual dynamics feel, little one?" **Aabidah asked the boy.

Suzaku tries to speak, but can only muster enough strength to let out a single cough.

**"... Another day, little one-no."**

Suzaku's body then felt a warm and gentle embrace caressing his bruised form.

**"Another day, little warrior..."**

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

... You know, this whole "burning down the city of sin to cinders" schtick ain't feelin' good as it should.

Now that I think about it, my whole adventure throughout this crazy-ass world has nothing been more than me making the worst of luck and half-assing my way through this world.

My targets were misaligned, for I should've chipped away at the church more than the [Heroes]. That's my first issue.

My justification? Just targeting the institution isn't enough.

I had to target the concept of their faith, their objects of worship, the [Three Cardinal Heroes]. I had to show them that they're weak. That they're unqualified for this kind of burden.

... That they're still _human_. Their belief in these so-called gods must be throughly destroyed, leaving them hollow, as dust collects inside of their emptied-out souls, all wasted by kowtowing to three_ nobodies_.

The utter cretins who only _think_ they're good while not acknowledging that they're doing evil.

At least I admit what I'm doing is morally wrong, and I have no excuses for that. But if you just expect me to just stand by as I watch this dry rot stench in front of me, then I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure that it never happens again.

... Better to admit being _evil_ than thinking that you're good.

But why did I target Naofumi? The only one who doesn't deserve the utter hell I've inflicted upon this blight of a world. Why did I target, him, Raphtalia, and Filo, who're just innocent children in a world that's out to kill them for no reason?

For the three of them collectively, they're no exceptions to my onslaught. I cannot afford to show favoritism lest I be ousted as a collaborator, so in order to maintain the image that me and Naofumi have nothing to do with each other, I also have to attack him, and I also have to make sure that Naofumi hates me, so that he doesn't rely on me as a crutch.

... Lame-ass reasoning, sure, but I can't think of anything better, so I'll break it down for each of them.

As for Naofumi specifically, I have to make sure that he grows stronger.

There's a reason why back in the canon story, Naofumi was shat on like the pigeon-infested streets of New York. The [Shield] can only grow stronger through adversity. If I'm going to help him, I'm going to break him and force him to rebuild himself anew.

A [Shield] that cannot take a few beatings can't be called a shield. But luckily for him, he's grown stronger with my indirect guidance, and the best part, Siltvelt and Miraella are in the same room with each other, so I wonder what kind of a political shitstorm will be stirred up from that reaction.

... Just because someone has a good head on their shoulders doesn't mean that they're trustworthy. And unfortunately, I can trust Miraella and Naofumi as much as I can trust_ Malty_.

Hey, you can choose your friends, but you can't choose your _family_.

As for the tanuki-girl, I half-hate her, yet half-admire her.

I hate her nativity and innocence, for those notions have no place in my future. But despite that, I respect her conviction, strength, and genuine loyalty to Naofumi despite such trifling world making it near-impossible to inspire.

The mere fact that she has such thing is why I respect her, but I fear that she may become overdependent on Naofumi. So along with Naofumi, I need to break her twofold, and reforge her into her idealized self.

Not as some orphan.

Not as some sword hand.

And certainly not as some _light-novel cliche_ love interest (although she's written rather well, in spite of such limitations).

... No. I want her to become what she_ truly_ is.

A _survivor_. The ideal _apex predator_.

... My muse for my hopes and dreams. The champion who'll protect the weak.

A true [Hero]. And my eventual _executioner_.

... Yep, still _suicidal_. God I miss my brain meds.

And as for Filo...

... Her mere existence alone inspires _degeneracy_. Just ask _Motoyasu_.

Yeah, I kinda want to turn her into a 12-piece bucket meal just to spite the horny bastard, that and well, now that I have several monsters, including [Dragons] that she wants and will probably eat (Remember, in canon, she ate a [Dragon Zombie] from the _inside out_, and those things are no pushovers)...

... Yeah, I'm honestly a little terrified of her, no just for me, but for my whole party's safety. Worst case scenario, if Naofumi and I clash, she's going down first, no questions asked.

Now, another reason why I may not have been efficient as I thought; mainly my method of handling Aultcray.

On one hand, I could've easily just exposed his crimes to the public and have his PR plummet down to bedrock, but such method is crapshoot. After all, what's stopping him from claiming that my evidence are just forgeries, or the fact that he can send the [Royal Guards] to quell the mob into pacifism? After all, Aultcray, in spite of his recent failings, still holds more clout than yours truly, and he didn't do anything to wrong his own people, in the grand scheme of things, so in the end, appeal to force if I must.

In the end, I might end up no better than him, a sadistic and vengeful despot who abuses his power to be rid of whoever gets in his way, but in my defense, it's all his fault that I was dragged into this world that I wanted nothing to do with, so in essence, he brought this upon himself.

You take a man away from his medicine (my brain meds to treat my brain chemical imbalance)?

... Then the person responsible for the separation can start digging their own grave.

But enough about me trying to get back at some old goat, now onto more... _internal_ issues.

My party.

No, I don't mean the fact that they might turn on me or anything, but rather, why they joined and why they chose to stick around me for long as they should.

For the twins, Rio, and Rino, they're only around because of the [Slave Crest] on their bodies, and if they choose to leave me after I remove them, I will. It's the least I can do, or at least, what I can do before I attempt to win them back...

For the Hakukos, L'Arc, Theresa, and Glass, they're only here because they owe me, the former from me saving them from a political assassination attempt, while the latter three, I sort of held a half-leverage of utilizing my knowledge of the canon story to coheres them into being on my side, but even then, it's a little shaky, especially after I broke L'Arc.

... To be fair, I did give them a chance to leave before I coerced Kaido into my side, but something tells me I got the timing wrong.

If they leave, and become my foes once again, oh well, _I've might've deserved it_.

As for my [Summons], Suzaku, Seiryu, Byakko, and the other [Homunculi], can it be said that they're only loyal to me because of Grimm?

Can they still remain by my side even without Grimm's help? Hell, can it be said that what I'm doing is no different from slavery?

... Will they turn on me as soon as I lose my powers? Is being a mere human with a leash going to bite me hard on my ass?

... Just what is loyalty? Just what is friendship?

Know naught of love nor honor. Only an appetite for blood.

... My humanity is my issue. It's holding me back.

Well, about roughly 15-20% of my bodily composition are synthetic, so hey, at I'm getting started. _Probably_.

As for why I didn't just talk them out, well, a few things.

One, I can't talk to my fellow man without trying to vomit. Yeah, I've been a massive misanthrope before I came here, and no, just because I can talk with technically-fictional characters doesn't exempt them from my bitterness.

I mean, I sort of broke L'Arc, and to a lesser extent, Wyndia, but the latter's alternative was slavery, so I've might've misguided her by accident. And yes, the two cases of me verbally shattering people has been my version of being _civil_. But I can mostly count the former only, since well, L'Arc is a human, through and through, and my brain registers him as "barely tolerable".

In fact, let me just mentally list down the people I can put into my criteria (non-monsters).

Can Live With: Garou, Fubuki, Wyndia, Byakko, Suzaku, Seiryu, Glass, and the entirety of the Hakuko Clan.

Acceptable: Rino, Rio, Wyndia, Theresa, Melty, Miraella, Reinchott, Raphtalia, and Naofumi.

Barely Tolerate: Ren, L'Arc, every neutral civilian that I haven't killed (yet).

NEED TO KILL: EVERYONE ELSE.

... I have a serious problem.

Now as for how am I dealing with the whole crapshoot campaign, I'm both surprised and disappointed in myself.

I'm surprised that despite everything going to hell left and right, I'm still stand (one leg notwithstanding), and frankly, I think amassing power through either numbers or actual power has some merit.

But what I'm disappointed in is that I never got to talk it out with other people. I never made any connections with the people of power, I never attempted to win over the hearts of the people, and hell, I never even tried to form an alliance with the Queen herself, who by the way, has the most powerful network of spies in the whole damn rock.

Why? Why didn't I do that?

... It's because no matter what, I can never trust a human.

From my experiences, it's not the dullard ones that you should be afraid of (although they themselves can cause massive damage on their own), but rather, it's the cunning and the intelligent that are the real enemy.

Miraella is no friend. She's _competition_.

Because no matter what agreements that we may come up with, at the end of the day, Melromarc, Faubley, Shiedfreeden, and Siltvelt, are all blight upon this world that needs to be cleaned out. Society itself is the disease, nests that breed nothing but lies and hypocrisy, and as long as they stand upon the hills that they've polluted, the world will remain the same.

They're all _old news_. They have no place in my new world, and that's why I can never stand them as anything but the enemy.

Call it _self-disposing_, but I call it a solution.

After all, I don't fix problems. I get _rid_ of them.

... That, and well, I'm officially insane. But I'm not going to blame my autism, Asperger Syndrome, and my zero social awareness (that is slowly evolving into social rejection) for my eventual slip into madness.

I might as well take responsibility as the _new villain_ of the grand narrative. Hey, better to establish a new age with nothing short of pure power.

So while I'm contemplating my little recounts, across the cottage's dimly-lit room, was Malty, still tied up, beaten to a bloody pulp just this morning by Fubuki and her "workout" (500 jabs per side), with fear and terror in her very eyes.

"So, still wondering why I haven't killed you yet?" I asked the poor woman. "Or are you finally understanding why I didn't kill you?"

Again, she mumbles through her rag tied around her mouth, but this time, I let it stay on.

Why? Well, I'm starting to find her strangely adorable.

Humbled out of her ivory tower, there's now a new, rustic charm to her new self. The scars I gave her, the bruises I gave her.

... Oh how they will age beautifully. But that's besides the point.

**"So kid, enjoying yourself?"**

Next to me, Grimm wakes up, page-maw baring all of his teeth as he floated next to me.

"... Am I enjoying this?" I replied. "I'm honestly starting to get, to put it mildly, _bored_."

**"... Yeah, not gonna touch that subject." **

"Fair enough." I replied with a sigh.

I then lean back on my rocking chair that I had the [Homunculi] bring into the building.

"Hey Grimm." I asked.

**"Yeah, what is it?"**

"I been thinking..." I went on. "... Just what kind of evil is more vile? The kind where one is proud of its villainy, or the one that only think that they're good?"

**"... Honestly, I dunno."** I replied.** "Given what we saw and been doing, just where do you see yourself on that ****spectrum?"**

I let out a sigh as I looked up on the ceiling.

"... If I had to choose, I rather admit that I'm evil than think that I'm any good." I mumbled out. "At least that way, I ain't lying to myself about my place in the world."

**"You think that makes things any better?"** Grimm remarked.** "Just admit that you're evil and keep going, as you've been doing so?"**

"... Can't say that I can, no siree." I bitterly replied. "I mean, look at me and what I've done. I destroyed people's livelihoods, killed and burnt them to the ground, and all the while, making myself less and less human with each passing day..."

I then look down at Malty, still trying to worm her way out of the door, stopped by my [Stone Spike] shot from my [Grimoire Heart].

"Grimm, unbind her gag."

The tome then snakes towards her cheek, severing the cloth gag with his teeth.

"So tell me, princess..." I asked. "... If you had to describe yourself, do consider, after everything that you've done, from wronging countless men, to the plotted murder of your own flesh and blood, good, or evil? No need to be shy, as long as you're honest with yourself, I won't harm a single hair on your head."

Malty then grimaces before she answered.

"Isn't it obvious?" She answered. "All I've done, is for the crown, so of course I'm good compared to you, a fucking warmonger!"

"So says the milk-bitch who came from a warmonger's testicles."

She tries to up to her feet, but no dice. I had her ankles and her legs tied up beforehand.

"Admit it, you only think that you're good because you were born into a position of power." I pointed out. "The end justifies the means, history is written by the winners, that kind of schtick, I get it. Make yourselves look good for the public so that they may revere you as good and benevolent rulers, that as long as you rule, you can claim that justice is on your side."

Now normally, the persistent bitch like her would retort, which then, I give her a few moments of silence to let her speak to hear what she has to say, but all she did was lie there, eyes agape.

"... Ah, so you acknowledge that I'm right." I rubbed in. "Good, I thought you were dropped onto your head back when you were a baby."

She tries to spit at me, but let's just say that I only let her drink one ladle of water per day for a reason. I wish not to harm her too badly, that's for sure.

... That's the others's job.

"But tell me this, little princess." I went on. "Suppose if... society itself completely collapsed beyond repair, with no law, no government, no power bases, no political systems, then can you consider yourself to be just? To be good? To be benevolent? To be right? After _all_ you've done?"

"... Better than you, an anarchist." Malty retorted. "At least I'm not out to kill everyone."

"Oh don't think you can pitch yourself higher on the moral spectrum because of that fact alone, little princess." I replied. "I admit, I'm a monster. I kill people. But that's what_ people_ do. At least monsters admit that out loud, but people? They go out of their way to justify all the blood they've stained their hands with, all the hate that boils and burns inside their heart, trying to call themselves human, in order to differentiate themselves from monsters, but in reality, we're all the same."

I then plant my [Sacrificial Dagger] hard onto the table's surface.

"Can't cover ugly with civilization." I remarked as I shook my head. "And hypocrites like you? Your father? And the majority of the people who hasn't actively try to speak out against the king's more questionable actions? Now that's _bad civilization_."

**"But to be fair, not everyone's ballsy or ****nonconformist as you, man."**

"Peh, uncultured bastards." I remarked. "A little punk rock never killed anyone... yet."

I then removed the knife from the table's surface before sheathing it.

"But that's life for ya." I remarked. "Can't take shit without a little legwork."

I then hear knocking coming from the door.

"Come in."

The door opens, and I find Glass with a serving tray with the brown gruel.

"Sup." I greeted. "Mind the clutter please."

Glass steps around the fallen princess before setting my late breakfast.

"... You done anything to her?" Glass remarked.

"Nah, just had a nice, long chat." I remarked as I ate my meal. "... Or at least something close, I really can't tell."

"Unbelievable as always..." Glass sighed out.

As I ate, I then begin to come up with my next course of action.

"... Glass." I asked. "You mind bringing L'Arc and Theresa in here? I need to apologize to the two of them."

Glass then looks at me surprised.

"... Did I just hear that right?" Glass remarked in disbelief. "You, of all people, _apologizing_?"

"Look, I'm trying, okay!?" I rebutted. "... Just because I'm a serial killer who had no reason to kill all those people last night doesn't mean that I have any excuse to avoid taking responsibility of being a total dick to them."

"... Wow, I mean, just, wow Nan." Glass sputtered out. "I'm neither mad or surprised, just, like wow. You're unbelievable."

"Will you bring them, regardless?" I stated. "I need to make amends with them first before we go back to home base."

"... Fine, I'll bring them here."

Glass then walks out the door.

I then look at the princess, trying to figure out what to do with her, now that I see her trying to worm her way out of my grasp, again.

"Tch, you're a difficult one, aren't ya?" I remarked.

"Proud of it." She smiled back.

"Eh, at least you're honest." I remarked. "Nighty-night, princess."

Grimm then slams himself into the princess's neck, knocking her out.

The three otherworlders enter into the room, with Theresa glancing at the out-cold Malty.

"Don't mind her." I remarked. "... Unless she's awake. In which case, knock her out."

"What do you want, Nan?" L'Arc bitterly remarked. "... Aren't you going to apologize?"

"... Oh right."

I unsheathe my dagger.

"Tell me." I remarked. "... Are you familiar with the practice of _yubitsume_?"

Glass's eyes widen upon hearing that as I place the [Sacrificial Dagger]'s edge against my pinky joint.

"Nan. Don't." Glass's voice trembled out. "You don't have to go that far-"

Too late.

*SPRUCH*

"ARGH! FUCK!"

... And that little piggy went to the market... and _never came back_.

"Oww... ow... not my smartest nor brilliant moment in my life..." I winced as I picked up my severed pinky (along with a strip of skin and flesh that I accidentally flayed off) and presented before the three.

"NAN, WHAT THE HELL, MAN!?" L'Arc screeched out in surprise.

"Oh god, I'm going to-*urp*"

Theresa then tosses chunks onto Malty's head.

"... So, uh... apologizes accepted-"

*TWACK*

... Glass just slaps me across my face.

I look back at her, her eyes with both blazing with a disgusted glare, and tears of regret.

"... What the hell, Nan." Glass's voice trembled out. "JUST WHAT THE _FUCK_ ARE YOU THINKING!?"

"... I'm assuming that won't be enough?" I replied.

"NO! NAN!" Glass screeched out. "... Just don't. Just stop with the... self-mutilation."

"I can't."

I then point the tip of my dagger towards my only good/organic eye left.

"... This is how a monster apologizes, Glass." I pointed out. "If words aren't enough, then I'll carve the same pain that I carved unto you guys onto my body."

"... Nan, just don't do this to yourself." Glass stated. "Just because you hurt us doesn't mean you have to hurt yourself."

"I have to." I replied bluntly. "... You know what's the worst thing I've ever done? It happened last night, and it's how I got my black-eye-"

"Whatever you've done, I don't want to hear it." Glass cut me off as she placed her hand onto my now-four-fingered right hand. "We get it, you're an asshole, but that doesn't mean you should treat and live yourself like one."

A moment of silence was given, as the four of us tried to calm down, as I wrap the bloody stump on my right hand with a tourniquet.

"... Already regret my decision for going through this, but I lost more beforehand." I remarked as I looked at my severed pinky finger. "... In hindsight, does that make me almost more suicidal?"

"... You're unbelievable, kid." L'Arc remarked. "You're wiling to burn this whole world down for the sake of our own, just because the people living here are complete assholes..."

"... I kinda need to get something off my chest first." I replied. "About why I killed all those people, the zealots, the slavers, that fat bastard, and the entire city of whores and _nouveau riches_... I didn't kill em because they were evil or for some greater justice. I killed them because_ I felt like it_."

"What do you mean by that?" Theresa asked.

... I think it's a good time as any to reveal my old life.

"... Did you know that back at my old world, I got screwed over by the authorities, hard?" I answered. "I got arrested under false charges of bringing a weapon to school, twice in a row, in front of my family and teachers, and the news spread around like_ wildfire_. I narrowly avoided going into a slammer because I was only two months away from turning 18, the legal adult age of my world, but in turn, I got sent to juvie after my second arrest, almost got shanked in the ribs by a sharpened_ pencil_ of all things, but thankfully, my parents got me out after 30 days and getting our lawyers involved, but by than, the damage was already done."

Again, horrified silence fills the room after I finish with my little tangent.

"... You didn't come to this world to be broken." Theresa gaped out in horror. "You came to this world _already_ broken."

"You know what's even _worse_?" I remarked bitterly. "I had roughly 9 months of recovery time to get my shit sorted out. I been attending therapy sessions, getting mentally evaluated, been on brain meds, and after they cleared my charges, I got to live out my normal life, steadily recovering... until I landed into this shithole of a world, ripped from my family and therapist, and as you can tell..."

I then punch _myself_ in the nose, _hard_.

"... I did not take it rather well." I finished my thought as I licked the blood seeping down to the fringes of my upper lip. "So in retribution for ripping me away from my recovery, I immediately began my plot to utterly destroy this shithole that I was dragged into, _at first_."

"What changed?" Glass asked.

"... I realized that with Grimm, that I can change this world for the better." I remarked. "No longer I will be forced as spectator to this madness that has made my bowels sick for too long. No more I will be forced to accept that people suffering under the lies and delusions known as 'society'. I can now finally _rage against the machine_. I can now, become my own ideals, rather than just nominally supporting a rhetoric. Words have been proven useless, both in this world, and my own! PEOPLE, REFUSE TO LISTEN, SO NOW, THEY CAN BURN FOR IT!"

I then sort of start hyperventilating post-rant.

"... Point is?" I remarked. "I now have the power to change the world. I have zero obligation to save this rotten world from certain doom. So instead, I'll make this world worth saving, by culling the parasites that leech off the goodwill of the innocent. By parasites, I mean the people who accept this insanity of a world, those who benefit from this crap. The aristocrats, the merchants, the buyers, the rulers, and the conservatives who think that _SLAVERY_ IS A GOOD THING!"

My breathes start to become more unstable, my head begins to feel like it's going to _pop_.

"... I want a world, where I can finally be stop being stressed out so often." I stated in a half-chuckle. "In order to do that, I just can't afford to solve all the world's problems. I have to get rid of _all of them_."

I then pick up my pinky finger and present it to the three.

"... So with that said, will you accept my apology?" I asked as tears began to flow from my eyes. "For the acts that I will commit later down the line, no longer as a human, but as a _monster without a name_?"

Glass reluctantly takes the pinky.

"... You're an asshole, Nan." Glass bitterly remarked. "... But at the same time, you don't need to tell us that you're genuine in your remorse. After all, we're not so different, at least, when we initially met during the [Wave]."

"No..." I whimpered out. "... You guys are good people and still am. I lost my chance to be good because my soul was weak."

"No one's born good or evil, Nan." Theresa spoke out. "... You know that despite everything, you still have people that truly care for you."

"Do they?" I remarked. "... I kinda forgot to remove the [Slave Crests] from Garou, Fubuki, Rino, and Rio."

"Well kiddo, one way to find out." L'Arc remarked. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?"

I nod.

Theresa and L'Arc leave to get the four, but before the [Scythe Saint] can leave, I stop him for one last word.

"... Will you ever forgive me for what I've done to you?" I asked.

L'Arc shrugs.

"... Can't say, kiddo." L'Arc answered. "You're unbelievable at times, you know that? Not that's a bad thing, mind you."

With that, it was just me and Glass, with Grimm keeping the dazed princess company/knocking her out before she can mock me.

"Thanks." I thanked Grimm.

**"No prob. Hate that bitch as much as you do."**

We both share a mild chuckle for a moment.

"So..."

I turn my head toward Glass.

"What is it?" I asked.

She lets out a small chuckle before speaking.

"You're not insane, you're just scared out of your mind, aren't you?" She pointed out.

"Better than being scared still, mind you." I replied. "For me, fear is no reason for complacency. It instead should be a catalyst for action, for change."

"Hmph, despite everything you claim yourself as, a monster, a murderer, and a Demon King, you do have a tinge of nobility in you, don't you?" Glass asked.

"Hey, gotta have some standards." I remarked. "It's better to be honest with your evil than lying to yourself that you're good."

"... I guess you have a point." Glass pointed out. "Now that I think about it, those zealots that tried to kill us last night. They truly believed that they were doing God's work?"

"A god's state of mind is reflected upon his worshippers." I remarked. "In that case, I'd say... _fucking hysterical_."

"You killed an _undead god_." Glass pointed out. "And your [Wyrmlich] and her adopted daughter _ate it_."

I chuckle for a moment before coming to the realization that Wyndia's appetite for human flesh has been awakened after evolving into a [Garmr].

"... Speaking of which, where's Wyndia right now?" I asked.

"Haven't seen her around the mess hall." Glass pointed out. "Normally, she's usually the first one there..."

I then hear knocking on the door.

"Glass, can you get the door?" I asked. "Better yet, can you lend your shoulder? still ain't used to this pegleg."

She helps me up, and the two of us walk towards the door and opens it...

... And find a freshly killed church zealot, half-eaten, in front of the cottage's footstep.

"... I forgot to mention." I stated. "Wyndia evolved into a [Garmr] after eating that _human centipede_."

"You mean distant and more nastier cousins of [Hellhounds]?" Glass replied. "... Although I'm still surprised that the church is still sending them to their deaths, and they're just as willing too."

"What did I just say?" I pointed out.

"... I'm going to stop questioning their sanity when they clearly had none to begin with." Glass remarked in a resigned tone. "A church? They operate more like a fucking _cult_."

"Oh please, all religions start out as cults." I pointed out. "Hell, state religion are basically legalized cults. But if there's one thing I don't hate about these racists, is that they do technically do great things for the people, you know, charity work, welfare, and they do take care of the poor. That I can _sort of_ respect, despite me once finding out that they have a dedicated _torture basement_ solely reserved for demihuman children, but in a karmic turn, let's just say that my family won't be _starving_ anytime soon, if you know what I mean."

Glass rolled her eyes.

"... Why am I not surprised?" Glass remarked. "They might as well be _more evil_ than _you_."

"Standards are subjective." I replied. "They're not classist, but they're also racists. Whereas I kill people indiscriminately with extreme prejudice, but I know how to pick and choose my targets, i.e., the idiots way too small for their boots."

"Can I take back what I just said?" Glass remarked. "You're _all_ fucking evil."

"At least I don't kill my own guys on a whim, which the same cannot be said for those racists." I retorted.

From a distance, I spot the newly-dark-coated Nordic Hellhound jogging towards me with a smile on her face.

"Nan?" Glass remarked. "I found _her_."

So terrifying, yet so innocent. I'm going crazy over my little psycho-blood-bond baby sister.

"So big bro! You like my present?" Wyndia asked as she wagged her tail.

... When did_ bloodstains_ become so _adorable_?

"Now now, Wyndia, I appreciate the thought, but..." I stated. "... I just had breakfast."

"Aw, that's a shame." Wyndia grumbled as she took the half-eaten body over her shoulder. "Maybe next time?"

"Together." I replied as I patted her shoulder. "And a fresh one, because I don't have a strong as a stomach as you do. Also, don't eat our own party members. Family don't eat family, you hear?"

"Don't worry!" Wyndia replied. "I only eat what I'm offered!"

I then saw the little [Garmr] head elsewhere into the forests, with the corpse clamped between her fangs.

"... You honestly don't plan to commit cannibalism later down the line, do you?" Glass asked.

"Would you believe me if I said I might try it out, just a _little bit_?" I replied. "... And yeah, I kinda ate a pig Demihuman nobleman during my raid."

"How did he taste?"

"LIKE PORK!"

I then break down as I began to bawl into her chest.

"There there..." Glass sighed out. "... You been through a lot, in _both_ worlds."

... I think this is what people call, "catharsis".

Thankfully, I think the otherworlders have accepted me for who I am, or at least my apologies. Or at least, I think so.

Nothing is certain, but I think that's why things that are dear to us matter in the first place.

"... But still, you could've just talk to them in the first place." Glass pointed out. "Who knows, maybe that way, they could've joined our cause."

"Or they could wait for their chance to stab me in the back in hopes of killing off my whole family." I retorted. "... That's what people in power do here, Glass. Backstabbing is pretty much their pastime, that I rather take my chances at friggin' _Westros_ for recruiting allies."

"Westros?" Glass asked.

"Did you know that the likelihood of getting killed off randomly at Westros is set at _random_?" I remarked. "Yeah, it's that bad, but I kind of prefer it there. At least no one's judging you for your actions, since literally everyone there is trying to conqueror the whole damn continent, so standards itself are pretty much dead there."

... It really sucks that I might've missed the final season of Game of Thrones. Thank god I at least watched the previous six seasons.

What? I liked it because it had dragons and people doing it.

"... Yeah, you would fit in like a glove." Glass snidely remarked.

"Aw, you flatter me."

Glass pouts.

"... I was being _coy_, you nincompoop." She pouted with her cheeks puffed out.

I chuckle lightly before I saw Garou, Fubuki, Rino, and Rio walk towards me with L'Arc and Theresa in company.

"Hey guys." I waved out.

"Holy shit, big bro. What happened?" Garou asked.

"Don't worry, it's all _self-inflicted_." I reassured. "They didn't harm a single hair on my hand."

"Nan, did you know that you now officially look like you belong in a yakuza clan?" Rio remarked.

"1980s or the 21st Century?" I asked Rio for conformation.

"Both."

I let out another chuckle.

"Well, I kinda do consider you guys _family_..." I remarked. "... So take it as you will."

"Yessir." Rio dryly replied. "What'd you brought us all here for?"

"Oh right." I remarked. "Give me a second. Grimm!"

The [Forbidden Tome] then opens his pages and take out the ointments that I "procured" from Belokas.

"... I'm going to remove your [Slave Crests]." I stated. "You know that my stance on slavery is rather nonconformist, right? Least I can do is take responsibility for my stance, and make good on it. That and well, I'm not forcing you or anything, but I'm kinda just throwin' it out there."

"Well don't mind if you do." Rio stated as she lifted her top up to reveal her branded naval. "Sonofabitch is a stigma. I want it gone, now."

... Alright, let's see if this works.

Take the dab of ointment, and apply it onto the [Slave Brand].

The [Slave Brand] then glows for a brief moment before disappearing.

"Phew... Worked like a charm." I remarked with a sigh. "So what you'll do now, Rio?"

"Eh, I'll stick around." She remarked. "Better chance of surviving this hellhole together with you than on my own."

"Fair enough." I replied. "Anyone else?"

Rino then pulls down her rear collar of her top to reveal her branded lower neck.

"If you will." She remarked. "I'd sooner die like a dog than live as some fat bastard's cum-bitch."

"Then live like the wolf, my fair lady."

And another [Slave Brand] gone.

"... You two wanna have a go?" I asked the twins.

Both shake their heads.

"... Okay, why?" I replied. "Just asking."

"I want it removed and all, for sure." Garou remarked.

"... But the humans need to_ remember_ what they've done to us." Fubuki coldly pointed out. "If they don't believe us to be truly free, then it's not worth removing, and all the more humiliating when they get bested by a mere slave."

"That and well, the bonus EXP that it comes with it is really awesome." Garou pointed out. "... I think the term is called... 'getting the taste of their own medicine'?"

"No brother, what you're referring to is 'hoist by their own petard'." Fubuki pointed out. "The institution that they built up for the past generations will be their downfall."

"Yeah, that." Garou nodded.

... Huh. Since when did they grow up so fast?

Or did _I_ not mature fast enough? God, retrospective can be a huge bitch sometimes.

Nevertheless, they made their choice that I've offered. The least I can do is respect it.

"Very well, you may keep them." I told the twins. "But remember, you may be still called slaves, but you're both my little bro and sis, alright?"

"Right back at ya, big bro." Garou replied with a thumbs-up.

"Likewise." Fubuki remarked.

"Alright then." I told the four. "Dismissed, and thank you for your time."

The four then break off from the otherworlders.

"Well, guess that's one promise kept." I remarked. "Mostly."

"... Guess you're not so bad after all, huh, kiddo?" L'Arc commented.

"Oh please, compared me, you're a saint, _literally_." I replied. "And besides, I ain't doing this just to avoid looking like a hypocrite. I did that so I won't be a hypocrite. Just sayin'."

"Fair enough." L'Arc remarked. "Well, take care, kiddo."

"Likewise, Mr. [Hero]." I replied. "Unlike the people of this world, you have people waiting for you back home."

... Well, I dunno if should call that leaving on good terms, but for the likes of me, it was worth that pinky.

"... So Nan?" Glass asked. "Where now?"

"Back to bed." I yawned out. "... The attack last night might've taken a bit more out of me than I thought."

Glass helps me back to bed, with me limping with my sole left leg until I finally hit the sack.

"So..." Glass looked towards Malty, trying to crawl out the door (again). "... You want me keep her in here?"

"You think I want my throat slit open while I'm asleep?" I pointed out. "... Keep her tied up somewhere. At least that way, she can be of some use. Oh, and make sure to keep her alive. I still have plans for her."

As I went under cover, I saw Glass drag Malty out of the cottage by her ankles.

"Hey Grimm..." I asked out loud. "... What is the difference between friendship and loyalty?"

**"... Can't say kiddo."** Grimm remarked.** "You're gonna have to figure that out for yourself."**

"... Did you know that I wasn't able to make any genuine connections with anyone back in my old world?" I pointed out. "So I'm asking that question to know what the idea of 'friendship' is."

**"If it makes you feel any better, just know this."** Grimm replied.** "I have you to thank for getting me out of that brick-like state. Did you know that not being able to move or talk for god knows how long felt like?"**

"Fair enough." I yawned out. "Wake me up when we get back home."

And with that said, I pull the covers over my head and let my consciousness take me away.

"... Hey Grimm?" I moaned out. "... You're good friend to be around. Kinda like an other brother I needed."

**"You too, kid."** Grimm spoke out.** "You too."**

**Switching POV: Naofumi**

Four days.

Four days inside a Reinchott's manor, recollecting themselves, trying to rest before their departure.

Four freaking days, and a news of Nan burning down an entire city was spread like wildfire and to this morning's newspaper.

**NAN, THE DEMON KING, DESTROYS ZELTOBLE**

**OVER 90,000 CONFIRMED DEAD, ALL RESISTANCE ELIMINATED**

**INTERCONTINENTAL ECONOMY CRASHES, GREAT DEPRESSION IS IMMINENT**

**THE NEW THREAT THAT SURPASSES THE [WAVES]**

"CAN THIS ASSHOLE GO AT LEAST A DAY WITHOUT BURNING DOWN AN ENTIRE ACRES OF LAND!?" Naofumi growled out as he crumpled the paper in his hands. "... Ugh, and we're supposed to trust this prick."

"Master, I don't think anyone's going to miss slavers except their buyers and investors." Raphtalia pointed out. "But still... for him to casually burn down an entire city along with the people living there, that's a bit hard to stomach."

At the other end of the audience hall, Reinchott picks up the newspaper and sighs out in regret.

"What's wrong?" Naofumi asked Reinchott.

"... In hindsight, I should've seen this coming." The nobleman remarked as he unfurled the paper. "When the [Tome Fallen] mentioned that he didn't want these children to become killers, I think _this_ is what he meant."

Raphtalia lets out a sigh of relief, probably from knowing that Kiel was spared of this horrific fate.

"... Still mad at him, though." Raphtalia muttered out.

"Okay, I get destroying an entire city-state built entirely around slave trade, but even then, this is _overkill_." Naofumi pointed out.

"Agreed." Melty sighed out from the stairwell. "But the real news is even more harrowing."

"... How?" Raphtalia gawked out. "How can it get even worse then a one-sided massacre?"

"Mother's [Shadow] has informed me of the aftermath." Melty replied. "Apparently, the [Three Heroes Church] got involved in the suppressing the uprising of slaves and gladiatorial beasts that Nan incited, but apparently, Nan somehow snuck in an entire army's worth of [Undead] in the city's sewer system, and it got so bad that the church even went as far to unleash an _undead god_ sealed beneath the [Underdark] above the entire city-state upon him, but that thing only lasted five seconds before it was summarily devoured by his [Wyrmlich] and Wyndia, the dog-girl, which resulted in the two of them [Evolving] into a [Shiryu] and a [Garmr] respectively. And no, I'm not exaggerating. Nan and his party have become a _continental superpower_ after one slave rebellion."

Silence fills the whole hall, so quiet that one can hear a petal drop to the floor.

"... We need to leave, now." Naofumi stated. "Raphtalia, wake Filo upstairs. We need to move."

The tanuki-girl nods before she runs upstairs.

"Reinchott, crazy as this sounds, but we need to get the hell out of here." Naofumi stated. "You, your servants, all of the villagers, everyone-"

"TERRIBLE NEWS!" A butler burst in from the front door in panic. "THE VILLAGE IS UNDER ATTACK-"

*SHRUCK SHURCK SHRUCK*

The butler falls dead after a rain of arrows stick onto his back.

"WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED, DEVIL OF THE SHIELD!" A gruff voice roared from outside. "SURRENDER NOW, AND FACE YOUR PUNISHMENT, YOU COWARD!"

"... Well, we're fucked." Naofumi bit out. "Despite everything, there are some people who just hate me that much."

"Sad to say, I'm afraid that seems to be the case." Reinchott remarked. "Dear [Shield Hero]. Allow me to assist."

A maid now wearing plate armor over her uniform arrives carrying an armored case. The nobleman opens it, revealing a lever-action repeating crossbow, with the name [Erymanthia] inscribed onto it.

"They want me dead so badly?" Reinchott remarked as he loaded his bow with a rack of bolts. "They're going to have to make me kneel."

"I got you covered, Reinchott." Naofumi stated. "Don't die on me, you hear?"

"Loud and clear, [Shield Hero]." Reinchott affirmed.

"MASTER!" Filo screeched out. "WHAT'S GOING ON OUTSIDE-"

A bolt breaks through the window adjacent towards Filo.

"FILO!" Naofumi barked out. "[Intercept]!"

Naofumi teleports in front of Filo, blocking the bolt meant for the Filolial with his [Forbidden Shield] that he acquired from his [Class Promotion] into a [Shield Fallen].

... Granted, he was going to need power quickly as possible to protect his party, and besides, having effects that mitigate the negative costs of this [Cursed Series] was the thing he needed at that time.

Granted, he was still around Level 53 whereas Raphtalia and Filo were at their 60s, but to be fair, he himself just gotten started on flattening the curve. Still, the mere fact that he owes Nan still leaves a bad taste in his mouth.

"Helen, gather everyone." Reinchott ordered his maid. "The servants, the kids, everyone. We're _all_ leaving."

"Understood." The maid acknowledged as she ran into the manor's halls.

"Alright, everyone..." Naofumi stated as he raised his shield. "Get behind me."

The [Forbidden Shield] then transforms into the [Tyrant Dragon's Shield].

"THE DEVIL HAS SHOWN HIMSELF AT THE DOOR! KILL HIM AND HIS FOLLOWERS!"

"RAM DOWN THE GATES! WE MUST WIPE THESE SCUM OFF THE FACE OF THIS WORLD!"

* * *

**_To Be Continued..._**

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Addressed a few complaints and concerns from a few of my readers in this chapter, and yeah, Nan's basically my 11th grade self if he didn't get therapy.

The whole backstory? Yeah, I didn't go to juvie, but I did go a disciplinary school. Still, I almost got shanked there by a pencil there instead. And yes, I did get out early in part of my lawyers, but the whole experience?

... It sucked balls.

Funny how my real life kinda wrote the plot, and this story technically start during the worst periods of my life, so take the angst as you will.

... For the life of me, I honestly cannot tell if Ex-Convicts and Gang Members are worse then inmates, nor do I plan to find out.

So yeah, despite everything Nan did, there are still people who hate the [Shield Hero] that much. Also worth noting, Reinchott and his servants are not going down without a fight, and he's packing a repeater crossbow.

Well, enjoy the quarantine. And stay safe.

* * *

_**Current Party Members:**_

* * *

**Name: [Great Scourge], Nan Hon-Jah**

**Class: [Tome Fallen]**

**Level: 80**

**Affinity: [All Eight Elements] & [Ten Primordial Sins]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Mad**

**Equipment: ****[Forbidden Tome, Grimm the Heretic], [Grimoire Heart], [Lemegeton], [****Sibylline****], [Necromancer's Robes], [Mire Boots], [Wight's Rune of Spite], [Silver Wolf's Maw], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Visage of Madness], [Mystic Geas: Puppeteer], [Portable Dragon's Hourglass], [Slayer's Rusted Plate Armor]**

**Legion: [Berserk Corps]**

**Attack: 95 (+195)**

**Defense: 92 (+40)**

**Agility: 90 (+35)**

**Luck: 85 (+45)**

**HP: 700 (+105)**

**MP: 820 (+305)**

* * *

**Name: Garou**

**Class: [Brawler]**

**Level: 84**

**Affinity: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Assassin's Leather Armor], [Nightshroud], [Blade Gauntlets], [Primal Claws], [Katars]**

**Attack: 107 (+50)**

**Defense: 75 (-20)**

**Agility: 115 (+65)**

**Luck: 61 (+20)**

**HP: 910 (+20)**

**MP: 360 (-100)**

* * *

**Name: Fubuki**

**Class: [Monk]**

**Level: 83**

**Affinity: [Ice]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Twilight Gunstaff], [Darkbane Gauntlets], [Twilight Cloak], [Twilight Hunter's Hood], [Mana Medallion]**

**Legion: [Elysium Evangelion Euphorias]**

**Attack: 94 (+45)**

**Defense: 67 (+30)**

**Agility: 104 (+25)**

**Luck: 96 (+20)**

**HP: 630 (-50)**

**MP: 1,020 (+100)**

* * *

**Name: Genbu**

**Class: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Affinity: None**

**Alignment: ?**

**Equipment: [Wayward Nomad's Garbs], [Silver Pocket Watch & Chain], [Silver Shortsword], [Silver Buckler], [Fafnir's Flametongue]**

**Attack: ?**

**Defense: ?**

**Agility: ?**

**Luck: 9,999**

**HP: ?**

**MP: ?**

* * *

**Name: Rino**

**Class: [Assassin]**

**Level: 75**

**Affinity: [Earth]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Brave Compound Bow], [Spark Dagger], [Steel Throwing Knives x20], [Assassin's Cloak], [Shadow Mufflers], [Silent Step Sandals]**

**Legion: [The Anointed Children]**

**Attack: 82 (+80)**

**Defense: 50 (+10)**

**Agility: 108 (+120)**

**Luck: 97 (+90)**

**HP: 450 (+40)**

**MP: 400 (+40)**

* * *

**Name: Glass**

**Class: [Phantom Fan Saint]**

**Level: 93**

**Affinity: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Sacred Fans], [Kimono of Mourning], [Pristine Visage]**

**Legion: [Blood-Oath Zealots]**

**Attack: 108 (+50)**

**Defense: 87 (+70)**

**Agility: 129 (+50)**

**Luck: 59 (+100)**

**HP: 820 (+200)**

**MP: 890 (+250)**

* * *

So, what do you guys think of this Epic?

Will Suzaku's training arc yield results as he learns how to outrun Death?

Will Nan overcome his past traumas of his old world and grow out of his festering misanthropy and self-doubt?

Will Reinchott and his people come out alive during this surprise raid?

And why are there still people after Naofumi despite Nan being the greater threat!?

Please leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience are thinking!


	30. Epic 29: The Escape Part 1

**_Commencing Second Cour of Chronicles of the Wayward Tome Hero._**

**_(Still) Waiting for Season 2..._**

**_Finger Count: 4/10_**

**_Eye Count: 2/2_**

**_Arm Count: 1/2_**

**_Leg Count: 1/2_**

**_Sanity Meter: 40%_**

**_Death Counter: 36_**

**_Let's burn it all to the ground._**

* * *

_**Epic 29: The Escape Part 1**_

* * *

**"There is a cult of ignorance in the U̶n̶i̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶S̶t̶a̶t̶e̶s̶ and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion of democracy means that '_My ignorance is just as good as your knowledge_.' "**

**Issac Asimov**

* * *

**_Nan's Contemplation in his Mental Void_**

**_You know, _****_hindsight's a catch-22._**

**_You already done what would _****_normal people would consider the following:_**

**_Monstrous._**

**_Abominable._**

**_Horrific._**

**_Unspeakable._**

**_Evil._**

**_But as they say, what's done is done, and now all I can do is regret it._**

**_Never said I was a hero, but it sure as hell being called a villain by other ingrates that don't know what they're talking about._**

**_Huh, now that I think about it, I sort of loved playing the heel ever since I was 3rd grade back at my Little Red Riding Hood play, with me as the Big Bad Wolf._**

**_... I guess full circle?_**

**_But still, I guess I have Reinchott to thank._**

**_People like him? The wealthy and the genuinely good people that the people of my world would kill and die for willingly?_**

**_... People like him only exist in fiction. And rightfully so._**

**_If they existed in the real world like mine, some corporate asshole is going to do whatever it takes to get rid of him, not only to make a statement to reassert his or her authority, but also crush any notions of hope that sprouted from him and his influence._**

**_I would've taken him, but if I did, he can no longer hold to that caliber anymore, for I would taint him beyond recognition._**

**_... So in order to protect him from the evil, I have taken upon myself to become the greater evil that devours all the lesser evil that run rampant throughout this blighted world._**

**_Be all my sins remembered, for I have no right to be forgiven for what am I to do next._**

* * *

**Switching POV: Naofumi**

"EVERYONE! GET BEHIND ME!" Naofumi roared out as his admittedly-cumbersome shield blocked all the arrows coming his way.

But then again, this is what he gets for using a friggin' _head trophy_ as a bulwark. He would switch to a more practical shield, but he'd rather not risk a stray arrow slipping by mid-transition.

"Alright, let's see what the crazy bastard's gift does..." Naofumi gritted out. "[Threatening Roar]!"

The dragon head on the shield lets out an absolutely_ earshattering_ roar towards the surrounding soldiers, causing all of them to drop their weapons in gag reflex, and wince in agony as the dragon's bellow of pure _hate_ and _rage_ echoed throughout the whole hamlet.

"... Holy shit, I think my ears are bleeding." Naofumi shuddered out at the [Tyrant Dragon Shield]'s destructive prowess. "... Raphtalia, are you and the others okay?"

"What!?" Raphtalia screamed out. "Master, I can't you over the ringing!"

"... I'm seeing double..." Melty moaned out. "... Although two Filos doesn't sound so bad."

Filo then vomits out her dinner from last night on the manor's carpet.

"Forget my own ears bleeding..." Naofumi groaned out. "... This shit can cause flat-out _vertigo_ from its roar's radius alone."

By vertigo, Naofumi sees the marks of [Stun], [Confusion], [Horror], and [Silence] all over everyone from his HUD. He himself just shook off his [Stun] status, but having to recuperate his sensory nerves after he took this world's equivalent of a _flashbang nuke_ face-first?

... Hopefully, there will be enough room between Nan's legs for both Raphtalia's and his legs for them to kick.

"Well, the opposition isn't faring any better either..." Reinchott pointed out in a slightly dazed tone. "... Now run for it!"

Everyone stumbles off of the manor's entrance and slowly pick themselves up into a proper running speed.

"Master... do we need to?" Raphtalia grumbled out as she reached for her [Steel Longsword] while passing by downed [Royal Guards]. "I don't want to prove Nan right..."

"... It's either them or us." Naofumi sighed out. "If Nan's actions won't give them second thoughts, then so be it."

Naofumi then looks at the [Tyrant Dragon Shield]'s info, and glosses over another skill.

... Out of _8_.

"Well, won't have to worry about dying..." Naofumi grumbled out. "[Devour]."

The dragon head then stretches itself out of the shield and devours one of the soldiers whole, allowing him and his party to regain their HP back to full.

"That outta come in handy..." Naofumi commented as Reinchott's maids and butlers delivered the coup de tat to the downed soldiers. "Raphtalia, you okay?"

"... I'm fine." She grumbled out. "It's just... why?"

"Okay, what's wrong?" Naofumi asked. "You don't have to hide anything from me."

Raphtalia grumbles for a bit as she lays her head against his chestplate.

"... I might be beating a dead horse at this point." Raphtalia pointed out embarrassingly. "But I think this might all be some weird, convoluted, plan of that the insane bastard cooked up just to make all of us suffer for his amusement."

... Normally, he would simply tell Raphtalia to stop overthinking thing, but either through Nan's infectious insanity is starting to get to him, or the fact that everything is lining up so perfectly that it's almost too good to be true?

"... Me too, Raphtalia." Naofumi blankly stated as he patted her head. "Me too."

"Hrmmm..."

Behind him, he saw Filo pouting.

"MASTER! DON'T IGNORE ME OVER HER!" Filo threw a tantrum. "PET ME TOO!"

"Alright alright, there there..." Naofumi sighed out as he petted her head, calming her down instantly.

He'd accepted long ago that he himself had to be a parent to the two of them, but after Nan gave Filo brain damage via self-strangulation, to say that Filo has become more temperamental and demanding than usual. Workload has increased, but in all honesty, he pretty much accepted that things were going to be an uphill battle for him.

... Sometimes-Okay, all the time, whenever Nan's brought up in the limelight, he honestly cannot tell if he's trying to help him and his party, or just out to get him. Might be _both_?

_Might_ be both.

As they step out of the gates, they see the soldiers slowly picking themselves back up to their feet.

"... God dammit, I'm starting to become like Nan." Naofumi cursed to himself. "Raphtalia! Kill them before they get the chance to fight back! Hurry!"

As they move across the whole ruined hamlet, the raccoon girl and the other armed servants killed the struggling soldiers who were still struggling to get back to their feet.

Naofumi is not so naive to think that he can make it through this without killing anyone. Hell, as far as he was concerned, he technically forced Raphtalia to kill a live [Jackalope] just so he can have an efficient party member. Nan on the other hand? He wouldn't put him past him to start killing for _fun_.

... God forbid if he actually sinks _that_ low.

"I'm thinking too much on him..." Naofumi sighed to himself. "What am I? Gay?"

"Cannot blame you, Mr. [Shield Hero]." Reinchott stated as he shot his arrow at the downed soldier. "... The man, in my personal experience, is legitimately insane."

"Now that I think about it..." Naofumi pointed out while his shield used [Devour] once again on a downed soldier. "... How the hell did you managed to talk to him without getting maimed?"

"... Well from his words, he states that I'm a genuinely good person." Reinchott mentioned. "So I assume that he at least knows how to pick and choose his targets. Maybe explains why Rabier's territory has been of disarray of late... Call it karma, but even I think even that was too excessive."

Naofumi gulps in slight terror.

So he's less a psychopathic murderer and more of an extremely vindictive vigilante/revolutionary. Still, he's no Ryōma Sakamoto. If anything, he's one step away from becoming one of those terrorists that he sees on TV every week.

Any well-intentioned cause can easily spiral into utter bloodlust, and all Naofumi wants to do is go back home.

... But what about Raphtalia? What will she do when he's gone.

Suddenly, Nan's words from a week prior echo in his head.

_"The poor bastard can't even hurt a [Jackalope] without his sword-aide, in which case you two, please fuck already, Raphtalia's physically past her teens, I think one baby won't kill her, probably."_

... Just what in the actual hell is that psycho thinking?

Even though as much as he wants to go home, he sure as hell won't leave Raphtalia as a single mom.

... What is Nan implying when he said that "one baby won't kill her"? Is parental incest some sort of his fetish?

"... Ugh, I'm stressing myself out just by thinking about it." Naofumi grumbled to himself. "Anyway, any survivors?"

"A few over there." One of the maids stated. "As for the soldiers, I'm afraid that was only the vanguard."

"There's more of them, of fucking course." Naofumi spat out. "Paint a red target on my back, why dontcha!?"

"Well, complaining won't do any of us good." Reinchott pointed out. "Get the survivors to a safe space and prepare a defensive perimeter. After that, prepare the escape plan."

The maid then runs off towards the hamlet's main square, gathering the survivors of the initial attack to a safe space.

"What about you?" Naofumi asked. "What are you going to do?"

Reinchott smiles as he loads another bolt into his automatic crossbow.

"I entrust my life in your hands, Mr. [Shield Hero]." Reinchott confidently stated. "I'll cover you with the others. Pleasure to work with your party."

Raphtalia and Filo nod in agreement.

"I'm coming with you too!"

Behind them, Melty presented herself.

"Look Melty, I dunno if being in the thick of it is such a good idea." Naofumi pointed out. "I mean, I'm not doubting your competence, but at least wear some armor."

"Then I entrust that you'll be my armor, Naofumi?" Melty asked with a raised eyebrow. "Good! Then I also entrust you with my safety! Don't fret, for I will also contribute!"

Filo then transforms into her Filolial form as Naofumi mounted on her back, along with Raphtalia and Reinchott behind him.

"... Get behind me then." Naofumi sighed out. "I swear, you can be just as stubborn as that old man in the throne at some times..."

"It runs in the family." Melty pointed out.

"Ah." Naofumi remarked as he connected the behavioral patterns of the Melromarc Royal Family. "... Thought so."

Filo then runs towards the coming company of soldiers.

"I spot three [Lancers], two [Swordmasters], and a [War Mage]." Reinchott stated as he looked ahead. "[Shield Hero], your orders?"

"Cut them down." Naofumi gritted out. "They sure as hell won't let us pass otherwise."

Every time that Naofumi was proving Nan right, he felt a bits of his own humanity die piece by piece. The so-called [Heroes] are turning and training themselves into being _killers_.

He can rationalize, he can ignore, he can forget, but the scent of blood splashed onto his face with every kill that he claims, whether through Raphtalia, Filo, Reinchott, or hell, even Melty, his hands will _never_ be clean.

... Maybe Nan knew that fact, and chose to lash out at this unfair world, even going so far as to state that it _deserves to be destroyed_. Just what could've caused him to reach that revelation? Just what was his life like before everything happened?

... And just why is he thinking about him too much?

**Switching POV: Unknown Spectator**

_"So I see, the [Shield Hero] is in bit of a pinch."_

_"Yes. Should we send in assistance?"_

_"Hold it. Let our champion prove himself first. After all, Melromarc didn't give him the chance in the day, so let us be the one to give him a chance to prove himself as worthy as a [Hero]."_

_"And should he fail and potentially die?"_

_"... We'll need him alive regardless, so worst case scenario, prepare to move in. I suffice that the detachment from Siltvelt's finest that I've personally trained are more than enough?"_

_"It shall and will."_

_"Good. Now let's see how our potential champion holds himself to this little crisis caused by the [Tome Hero]."_

**Switching POV: Suzaku**

"ARGH!" Suzaku cried out as he landed hard onto his back.

**"Close. But not close enough." **Rubicante addressed.

**"You've now grasped the speed of [Godspeed Strike]."** Aabidah stated.** "Now we must teach you control."**

Suzaku leans against the fallen tree, exhausted from his self-suggested training.

**"... I must ask once more, Suzaku."** Rubicante asked the [Red Filolial King].** "Why do you put yourself through this training? Surely, you did say that you're worried about our enemies getting stronger, but in my opinion, they still have yet to show themselves as such."**

**"It's true."** Aabidah pointed out.** "If anything, they seem to be wanting to walk to their deaths."**

Suzaku takes in a few breathers before sipping his own goatskin sack of water.

"... I dunno." Suzaku replied. "I just... I just don't think I'm doing enough to contribute."

**"Surely, our sultan doesn't see you as weak, Suzaku."** Rubicante retorted.** "Can it be that it's only you that sees yourself as... ****insufficient?"**

**"You are not insufficient, Suzaku."** Aabidah pointed out.** "You are not a liability."**

"I know..." Suzaku stated. "... But that doesn't change the fact that I was born weak."

The two instructors look at each other before continuing to ask the young warrior.

**"Would you like to share?"** Aabidah asked.** "It seems that there's more to your personal journey towards self-improvement."**

Suzaku brushes his red hair before sharing.

"... Back at the slave shop in Melromarc, I was one of the eggs at the monster lottery, with big sis Seiryu being the grand prize while I was regulated as a gag entry." Suzaku admitted. "Even before we were able to hatch, we monster eggs were still able to share our premature thoughts together, like some sort of a shared space before we were sold. In that space, I was bullied by the other Filolials for being birthed out as a runt, the weakling, the one that will likely die, and be chopped into chicken stock as soon as my eventual master abandons me."

**"... How?"** Rubicante asked.** "How are monster eggs able to communicate with each other before they hatch?"**

"... It all started around when some weird-looking men looked into our eggs with their [Discernment Brands]." Suzaku pointed out. "I overheard them that the reason why put the seals on our eggs is to 'let us know our buys a bit better'. 'Make ourselves want to be sold', at least that's what they said."

**"So what then, Suzaku?" **Aabidah asked.

"As they we were put on carts and rolled off to be sold, I was the only one who didn't want to be sold to some random schmuck." Suzaku pointed out. "But the others... weren't exactly agreeable with my viewpoint, so they opted me to treat me as their punching bag for the rest of the duration of the my market-to-market trip. I remain unsold for three years, each Filolial and Tyrera coming and going in the shared space kicking the crap of me, with my trip to Melromarc being my last before I was tossed into pig feed if I failed to be sold."

**"... You know, a part of me is thinking that the slavers have done to you all is just out of sheer sadism."** Rubicante stated.** "If I wanted to make people suffer, I would at least do it to the people that genuinely deserve it."**

**"Which brings us the question..."** Aabidah pointed out.** "How did you and Seiryu meet on such good terms in the first place?"**

Suzaku adopts a forlorn look before answering.

"... Turns out that when she and I were put into the same rack, she was so weakened spiritually that the other Filolials were beating her as they did with me." Suzaku answered. "I got to know her throughout our time as merchandise, with her also being born as a runt, but since she was a [Tyrera], she was to be sold both as a grand prize and a joke prize. That went on for her for about five years, with her placement in Melromarc being her last before she was to be tossed to the same pig feed that I was consigned to. Through that, and the fact that she saw that I was in the same station as her, we became siblings-in-oath, destined to go together, either as freed merchandise, or as pig feed."

**"... Hm, so that's how it was."** Rubicante commented.** "... You made the right choice coming to us for aid."**

**"The weak may exist to be devoured..."** Aabidah interjected.** "But the strong exist to aspire the weak into action."**

"So can... can we go back to training?" Suzaku pointed out. "... I still owe a lot to my sis, and I want to be strong enough not only for her, but also for the rest of the family."

**"... Then brace yourself, for we will now respect your resolve."**

**Switching POV: Seiryu**

Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable.

The [Blue Tyrera Queen] was simply passing by a mountain road to hunt down any stragglers that the traps failed to catch and kill, only to overhear her younger brother's conversation.

She wanted to step and reassure him. She wanted to tell him that he's strong, and that there's nothing to that he owes to her.

Bur as soon as she saw Suzaku move at blinding speeds during his training with the [Iblis] and [Ziz], the marks of impact and scorches on the barren clearing, she knew that if she stepped in there, then she would surely die.

As the training grew more and more intense, she made a run for it into the mountains, refocusing her efforts to hunt down any surviving intruders.

"Shit, dude..." Seiryu mumbled to herself as she slid down a dirt slope. "... Never thought that it was like that. I thought our past was way behind us, not nipping at our heels."

She then stops to think for a moment, about their past as eggs in the rack, with the prospect of their failure being put into pig slops.

... Has she been neglecting her own weaknesses? Has she completely forgotten what it felt like to be on the edge of death as mere mewling yolks swimming in whites?

"... Goddammit, I'm thinking too much-"

She was then taken from behind, grappled onto the dirt before being pinned down from behind.

She looks what's behind her, revealing a haggard and malnourished man in tattered armor and fresh scars raked all over his face.

"My friends died because of you bastards!" The stranger behind her exclaimed as he pulled out a knife from behind himself. "YOU CAN DIE FIRST IN THEIR STEAD!"

The knife falls towards her head, but Seiryu catches the blade between her teeth before elbowing his exposed sides, allowing her to knock her off of herself and pull a reversal on him, beating his face in with her fists while keeping the knife blade clenched between her teeth, the blade itself slowly cracking as she growled in rage while caving the bastard's face into the back of his skull.

The blade snaps as she finishes burying her fist into his skull's gray matter.

"... Pft." Seiryu spat out the broken blade. "Asshole."

She then hears a rustle coming from the thrushes behind her, emerging a maddened female adventurer, with a crude wooden club raised over her head, charging at her with suicidal zeal-

... Another hand, but extended towards the woman's head, and said head grasped between its fingers.

"Now now, young one." An elderly voice spoke out behind the tree. "... Didn't you parents taught you that attacking from behind his rude?"

The surrounding digits then constrict around her skull, popping it like a grape.

"... Old man?" Seiryu called out. "Old man Gaelion, is that you?"

"Ohoho. It seems that my new look has been rather impressionable to the young ones, hm?"

The horned, bearded, and sage-like man dressed in flowing white robes appeared before her.

"Granted, I'm not that old." Gaelion stated. "In normal [Dragon] years, I'm still in my teens. After all, 400 years is not that old for a [Dragon]."

"... Nah, that's pretty old for me." Seiryu pointed out. "How the hell did you find me?"

"Just simply out for a walk, that is all." Gaelion replied. "Although still finding more of these adventurers grow more and more desperate in their attempts to kill us is rather... alarming."

"Tell me about it..." Seiryu sighed out. "... I thought I was gonna die there for a moment."

The two [Dragons] loiter about before continuing their prior conversation.

"So?" Gaelion spoke out. "What troubles you?"

Seiryu sighed out.

"... Guess I can't hide from you, can I?" Seiryu grumbled out. "... Just saw my baby bro training for me. Got me thinking about how I'm kinda burdening Suzaku, you know. Him being born weak and me protecting him while we were just eggs?"

"Hmm, such a bond forged before birth..." Gaelion pointed out. "... Oh course you would feel obligated to know what's troubling him."

"Yeah, and now he's training his balls off behind my back..." Seiryu commented as she kicked the bloodied corpse. "... Not that I'm against it, obviously, but can he at least tell me?"

"I do not know. Can you be sure that you'll tell him what he needs, rather than what _you_ need?"

Seiryu's expression freezes in place for a moment.

"... What do you mean?" Seiryu pointed out. "What do you mean, what_ I_ need?"

She then grabs Gaelion by his clothes and yanks him towards her.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'WHAT _I_ NEED'!?" Seiryu barked out. "I ALWAYS LIVED FOR MY BABY BRO! I LOVE WITH THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART! I WANT HIM TO GROW UP WITH ME... I want to be the big sis that he needed..."

Seiryu slumps to the earth, curled up into a ball.

"... I hate the fact that we were born weak." Seiryu stated as she held back her tears. "... I hate the fact that the whole world is simply telling us to die because we were born as runts. I want to be the big sis that Suzaku can be proud of..."

Tears then start flowing out her eyes and down her cheeks.

"... I want Suzaku to live without having to worry about dying tomorrow." Seiryu sniffed out. "... I want us to stay as a family, like we promised. I don't want to be alone in this shitty world."

Gaelion strokes his beard before answering.

"... Have faith, Seiryu." Gaelion stated. "Have faith that Suzaku won't abandon you. Have faith that he'll care for you. And you really want what's best for him, have faith that he'll pull through, and respect his choice."

"... Have faith?" Seiryu pointed out. "What's faith?"

Gaelion lets out a small chuckle before sitting himself down next to Seiryu.

"Tell me." Gaelion asked. "When I saw that my little girl evolved into a [Garmr], what do you think I was feeling that day?"

Seiryu pondered for an answer, but came up with nothing.

"... I dunno." Seiryu replied. "I ain't her mama."

"But still family." Gaelion retorted. "The whole party is a family, just as you and Suzaku are close as siblings by oath. And as for how I felt, I felt proud."

"... Proud?" Seiryu replied.

"Yes, proud." Gaelion remarked. "Proud that my little girl, once a timid lass who lost her birth parents, now able to stand on her own two feet, of course I would be proud that I can see her grow into her own person."

"... So that's what faith is?" Seiryu replied. "Just the fact that we get to watch our loved ones grow up?"

"Oh no, not just watch." Gaelion remarked. "If you truly respect their progress, you yourself must continue to grow, not only for your own sake, but also for your own as well. After all, just watching isn't enough of a respect. If you truly wish to respect your younger brother's choices..."

Gaelion then sprouts out three pairs of wings behind his back as he stood up.

"... Then why don't you come with me and train?"

"Eh?"

**Switching POV: Raphtalia**

Today was a really shitty day for her and her master.

Four days of rest, while adequate, wasn't still enough for what they have to face right now. A familiar scene of a village of demihumans come under attack by the similarly-armored soldiers from Melromarc, but unlike in the soldiers of the past, who wore the faces of sadistic glee and pleasure, these soldiers were anything but.

Desperation.

Hunger.

Fear.

These soldiers flailing their blades before her, they were _driven_ to this point. They were not here to kill and enslave for their sick pleasure. They were here because they had nowhere else to go.

She blocks a sword strike with her own sword, and with her free hand, she unsheathes a [Kitchen Knife] that she managed to sneak out of Reinchott's manor, and slits the soldier's throat.

As a Level 65 [Duelist], she can now use both [Swords] and [Daggers] in tandem, and as much as she wants to strangle Nan to near-death, she has him, of all people, to give credit for their power-ups in the first place. Because without them, their journey would've been much more arduous.

... Still doesn't change the fact that she wants to genuinely kill the psycho responsible for, well, _everything_.

"DIE! DIE! DIIEEEE-"

"FUYAAA!"

Filo using her [Dwarven Gloves], she punches through the soldier's steel helmet, denting the metal plate into his skull, causing him to cease up like a frozen corpse, right before she herself pounces onto it and begins beating the soldier's deformed face into the back of his skuil with murderous rage.

"Filo!?" Raphtalia gawked out at the [Filolial Queen]'s sudden show of maddened brutality.

She doesn't respond, instead continues to beat down the dying man, right before balling both of her hands together into a one massive hammer blow, causing the soldier's head to explode in a bloody fashion, staining her white dress blood-red.

"... Filo?" Raphtalia gawked out as she slowly approached the Level 63 [Marshal]. "Are you okay?"

"I'M FINE!" Filo barked out in an even-more petulant tone. "SO MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!"

She then runs off where her master was, barreling through several of the [Royal Guards] like no one's business.

"Miss Raphtalia!"

Behind her, Melty ran towards her while firing a shot of [Aqua Bullet] towards her side.

"What is it?" Raphtalia asked. "More guards?"

"No. Much worse."

Behind the princess, a female [Shadow] appears out of thin air.

"How much worse!?" Raphtalia barked out. "We're already up to our necks with these armored assholes here!"

In rage, she jumps onto one and stabs him to death in the chest with her commandeered [Kitchen Knife], before getting back up, and slashing through two more [Royal Guard]'s legs before the [Shadow] finished them off with two quick blows to their throats with the butt of her [Assassin's Dagger].

"... Apologizes for such vulgarity, princess." The [Shadow] apologized.

"No, no... it's... it's fine." Melty stammered out, clearly being burdened by the mounting pressure of the worsening situation. "... I saw a whole mountain get defaced right before my eyes, so seeing people die left and right all because of the lunatic responsible kinda set the bar high for me-oh God, I need therapy after this nonsense."

The [Shadow] then carries Melty on her back as Raphtalia followed her.

"So anyway..." Raphtalia asked as she ran alongside the [Shadow]. "... What's worse than maddened soldiers attacking?"

"Bandits." The [Shadow] answered. "Just as hungry and desperate for resources as these soldiers after the [Tome Fallen] effectively plummeted the continent's economy after the destruction of Zeltoble. Evidently speaking, the city-state itself wasn't just a main hub for slave trading, but also where stocks are exchanged every month, holds the continent's largest bank and investment pool, and during the [Tome Fallen]'s raid, all of the liquid assets were destroyed, all bank notes were burned to ash, and roughly 40% of the continental commerce has ground to a halt, leading to mass riots, starvations, and an economic crash so bad that Melromarc are now up to their knees in future spending deficit after taking loans from Faubley. In short, a complete and utter disaster that even the [Waves] cannot compare to, and has left most of Melromarc's military in disarray, with little supplies remaining being ransacked by increased bandit activity, leaving about 60% of our military on the verge of starvation."

The two girls look at each other, agreeing in silence that all of this shit going on was entirely Nan's fault.

"... I'm going to kill that bastard the next time we meet." Raphtalia growled out. "Until then, these assholes will have to TAKE HIS PLACE! GET BACK HERE! I NEED TO VENT MY RAGE OUT ONTO YOU LITTLE SHITS!"

She then pounces onto another soldier, driving her knife into his neck, right before jumping off of him and executing her newly learned skill upon her [Class Promotion].

"[Zahn Harken]/Fang Rake!"

As she landed onto the ground, she raked both of her blades down to the earth with much force put into the downward swing, scattering the surrounding [Royal Guards] away from her.

Raphtalia lets out a maddened roar as she charged towards the next batch of equally desperate soldiers.

"[Gerader Schub]/Straight Thrust!"

She thrusts both of her blades forward, breaking through their measly phalanx formation like steel blade through a sheet of worn cloth.

Behind her, one of the guards scramble back up to his feet and tries to attack her from behind.

"DIE YOU FUCKING ANIMAL!"

"... Sloppy."

With her [Steel Longsword], she knocks the guard's [Steel Sword] from his grip, and thrusts her [Kitchen Knife] towards his neck.

"[Doppelangriff]/Double Attack!"

The thin blade pierces through his neck, and Raphtalia pulls it out with precision and grace, all in one, clean motion.

"... Haah, that should be it for now." Raphtalia sighed out as she took a breather once all the [Royal Guards] were cleared of. "... So how long until the bandits come?"

"About that." The [Shadow] remarked. "... They're already at the gates, fighting over the supplies with the soldiers."

Both Raphtalia and Melty give flat stares at the [Shadow].

"... Why aren't we even remotely surprised?"

Another haggard-looking [Royal Guard] comes charging at the three with his [Silver Halberd].

With an annoyed growl, Raphtalia parries the polearm out of the way, winds both of her arms back in an adjacent direction from their joints, and unfurls them back in an X-shaped swing.

"[Kämpferkreuz]/Fighter Cross!"

The X-slash sends the [Royal Guard] flying across the ruined crop fields right before crashing into a scarecrow.

"... I _really_ hate today." Raphtalia grumbled out.

"Best not linger then." The [Shadow] remarked. "This way."

The raccoon girl and the crown princess follow the shadow, evading the half-starved soldiers scurrying through the ruined village, and beelining towards the hamlet's square.

"MISS RAPHTALIA!" One of the armed maids called out as she executed a [Royal Guard] with her [Steel Halberd]. "WE GOT TROUBLE AT THE GATES!"

"What is it? Bandits?" Raphtalia replied. "If so, I head there and take care of them. You two! Please keep the villagers safe!"

"With my life." The [Shadow] stated as she drew her [Assassin's Dagger].

"I won't let you down!" Melty replied with resolve. "Don't die, or me and Filo will get mad, you hear?"

"I won't." Raphtalia answered as she ran towards the village gates.

At the gates, her master and Filo were fending of the bandits, who were somehow even more emaciated and maddened than the soldiers, all of them raving and charging towards her master like a mob of madmen, with some of them being comprised of armed women and children.

Judging by their clothes, Raphtalia can easily tell that a handful of these bandits were in fact,_ former_ human villagers.

Nan's warpath against slavery is creating bandits by the dozen, all of them driven to mass starvation and forced to take matters into their own hands.

Civilian clothes caked in dirt and blood alike, all of them carrying farmer's tools repurposed into weapons, with some of them carrying dying demihuman slaves over their broken shields as patchwork repairs to their bulwark's cracks and gaps.

... For Raphtalia, a dying demihuman tied to a broken shield was the greatest insult to her people. A symbol of hope for all demihumans, now marred by the corpse of the people who once revered it.

Her hatred towards Nan has now turned into hatred towards those people who thought of such insult in the first place.

They.

Need.

To.

** DIE.**

Raphtalia lets out a bellowing roar of hate as she rushed towards the gates, with murderous intent towards those who desecrate her kind's symbol of hope, so that she may rectify that mistake through cutting their heads off.

"[Herausforderung]/Challenge!" Raphtalia shouted out as she brandished her blades, with some of the bandits now taking the bait.

The bandits come towards her, weapons brandished and oozing with killing intent.

"DIE YOU DEMIHUMAN TAINTSACK!"

The first weapon falls. Raphtalia's new passive [Auto-Parry] activates, redirecting the blow away from her, right before she slashed her blade across his throat.

Another comes, this time, two consecutive attacks from the bandits.

Too easy.

"[Zahn Harken]!"

The twin slashes from her dual blades knocked the bandit's weapons off of their hands.

"And then, [Doppelangriff]!"

Two attacks, each hitting one bandit, striking them down in quick succession.

And finally, a heavyset bandit, wielding a [Brave Waraxe], charges towards her with an outright _murderous_ zeal.

"IMMANA EAT YOUR PLUMP RACCOON-ASS FOR DINNER!"

Raphtalia bared her teeth in rage upon hearing those words.

"I'M A FUCKING TANUKI, YOU FAT BASTARD!"

The bandit swings his axe down hard, but Raphtalia weaves out of the way, causing the clumsy weapon to be embedded into the arid earth, allowing her to exploit an opening provided.

"THE ONLY THING YOU'LL BE EATING TONIGHT IS THE DIRT BENEATH YOUR FEET!" Raphtalia roared out as she ran up the embedded axe and towards the oaf's upper torso.

The heavyweight tries to snatch her out of the way, but Raphtalia simply jumps over his hand and head before facing the back of his neck.

"[Jägersucher]/Hunter Seeker!"

She slashes the back of the bandit's thick neck, causing it to gush out blood onto her face, right before the bandit fell and Raphtalia landed on her feet in a crouching position.

"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia cried out as she ran towards him.

Her master and Filo were in the process of taking care of the thinning bandit horde, in large part thanks to her master's [Tyrant Dragon Shield]'s [Devour] skill, and Filo's equally ravenous appetite for anything remotely edible.

She would normally scold Filo for this, but considering that most of these people were beyond reason thanks to a certain _someone_, having Filo eat them was almost close to mercy.

However, talking would have to come later, the bandits need to be pacified first.

So onwards, the tanuki-girl jumped into the fray, hacking and slashing her way though, parrying every blow that came to her, and retaliating with a vicious counterattack.

Eventually, the bandits were culled to a more manageable size, allowing her master to catch them for interrogation with his [Damned Prisoner's Shield]'s skill, [Subjugation], tying them down with black chains that bound them to the earth.

"Raphtalia!" Naofumi called out as she approached him. "How's everyone else?"

"... We managed to save as much as we can." Raphtalia sighed out in exhaustion. "Most of the soldiers that came to this village were on the verge of starvation, so they went down just fine. Although I just learned from the [Shadow] that Nan's little warpath causing the whole economic crash is the biggest reason why these soldiers devolved into impromptu raiding parties in the first place."

"... Yeah, that makes sense." Naofumi remarked as he looked towards the tied-up bandits, mostly comprised of the ex-villagers. "These guys don't look cutthroat enough to be legit bandits, and believe me, I met a fair few before I met you."

"YOU DEVIL!" One of the bandits barked out. "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S UNLEASHED YOUR KING UPON THIS WORLD!"

Both Raphtalia and Naofumi look towards the bandit in confusion.

"... Come again?" Naofumi asked.

"Don't you fucking play dumb, Shield Devil." The bandit sneered out. "We now know that you're just a pawn to a greater evil. Your presence was just merely the heralding of the coming end."

"Um, king?" Naofumi asked. "Just who are you talking about-oh... It's the [Tome Fallen], isn't it?"

"That bastard literally trampled upon our village... killed my mom and sis... with a giant-ass turtle monster size of a mountain..." The bandit half-ranted, half-heaved out. "... Then _they_ came. They came baring the bloodstained banner... of the Demon King..."

"Wait, they?" Naofumi asked. "Who're 'they'? Are they monsters that Nan let loose or something?"

"DON'T YOU FUCKING FEIGN IGNORANCE, YOU DAMNED DEVIL!" The bandit screeched out. "DON'T PRETEND THAT YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT! YOU'RE JUST AS REPREHENSIBLE FOR STRIPPING US OF OUR LIVELIHOODS!"

Her master looked at the bandit with an increasingly confused expression before turning to Raphtalia.

"... Call it a hunch, but I think Nan _really_ wants us to leave Melromarc." Naofumi winced out.

"You won't get away..." The bandit heaved out. "... Justice from the [Three Cardinal Heroes] will be served-"

Suddenly, the ground below them quakes.

The tremors continue in a march-like beat, reminiscent of a slow beating of a drum, resonating throughout the earth with each beat to the earth.

Raphtalia looks towards the bandit, who's now gone completely pale in _fear_.

"... They're here." The bandit mumbled out. "THEY'VE COME FOR US! THEY'VE COME TO FINISH US OFF!"

"Wait, who do you mean, 'they'!?" Naofumi barked out. "Just who're you talking about-"

A soulcrushing and oppressive bellow _boomed_ out of the forest near the gates, causing the nearby birds to fly away in panic.

From the shifting trees emerged, a massive bipedal and bibrachial creature crafted in stone and flora, a pair of glowing topaz-colored pinpricks for eyes, and in its gigantic hand of stone and root, held a massive club fashioned from stone, or rather, a stone carved into a club.

Either possibility were rendered meaningless as the massive titan before them slowly approached them, on one of its jutted-out roots and brambles bearing a bloodstained cape like a crude banner.

"What the fuck...!?" Raphtalia gasped out.

"... We're all gonna die." The bandit whimpered out before going back into screeching voice. "WE'RE ALL GONNA FUCKING DIE!"

The massive creature of jagged stone and brambling branches let out another earshattering bellow as it faced them.

**[Spriggan]**

**Springing into action (and onto your heads)!**

* * *

**_To Be Continued..._**

* * *

**Author's Notes: **And Nan's inevitable fuck-ups from his warpath now begins.

This little arc centering around Naofumi will explore how Nan's actions are now having dire consequences, and how they are viewed from an outsider's perspective.

So far, soldiers are going AWOL, villagers are now turning to banditry to make ends meet after Nan destroyed their villages upon Kaido stepping on them, and now, high-level monsters are prowling about, wrecking even more havoc.

Also, yes, all of this will come back to bite Nan's ass karmically. Just gotta think of a good segway into it.

So in the honor of Naofumi-centric arc (mostly, apologizes for the two appearances of two of Nan's party members making an appearance), the current Stat Lineup will be centered around Naofumi and co!

* * *

_**Stat Updates (Naofumi's Party):**_

* * *

**Name: Naofumi Iwatani**

**Class: [Shield Fallen]**

**Level: 53**

**Affinity: [Earth]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Forbidden Shield], [Barbarian's Armor]**

**Attack: 30**

**Defense: 70 (+200)**

**Agility: 45**

**Luck: 21**

**HP: 600 (+100)**

**MP: 200**

* * *

**Name: Raphtalia**

**Class: [Duelist]**

**Level: 65**

**Affinity: [Light]**

**Alignment: Neutral Good**

**Equipment: [Steel Longsword], [Kitchen Knife], [Fighter's Leather Tunic]**

**Attack: 80 (+30)**

**Defense: 40 (+10)**

**Agility: 80 (+10)**

**Luck: 30 (+10)**

**HP: 300 (+50)**

**MP: 100 (+50)**

* * *

**Name: Filo**

**Class: [Filolial Queen Marshal]**

**Level: 63**

**Affinity: [Wind]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Steel Wyvern Claws], [Dwarven Gloves], [Saint's Dress]**

**Attack: 79 (+150)**

**Defense: 60 (+50)**

**Agility: 60 (-10)**

**Luck: 30 (+20)**

**HP: 500 (+50)**

**MP: 100 (+50)**

* * *

**Name: Melty Q. Melromarc**

**Class: [Mage]**

**Level: 30**

**Affinity: [Water]**

**Alignment: Neutral Good**

**Equipment: [Royal Blue Dress]**

**Attack: 36**

**Defense: 10**

**Agility: 20**

**Luck: 40 (+20)**

**HP: 150**

**MP: 500 (+100)**

* * *

**Name: Reinchott**

**Class: [Sniper]**

**Level: 55**

**Affinity: [Water]**

**Alignment: Lawful Good**

**Equipment: [Eyrmanthia Semi-Automatic Crossbow]**

**Attack: 60 (+150)**

**Defense: 30 (-10)**

**Agility: 50 (+100)**

**Luck: 50**

**HP: 250**

**MP: 100**

* * *

So how will face the boss?

Will he and his party even survive their trip to Siltvelt?

And who the actual fuck is just standing back and watching this crap?

Please leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience is thinking!


	31. Epic 30: The Escape Part 2

**_Commencing Second Cour of Chronicles of the Wayward Tome Hero._**

**_(Still) Waiting for Season 2..._**

**_Finger Count: 4/10_**

**_Eye Count: 2/2_**

**_Arm Count: 1/2_**

**_Leg Count: 1/2_**

**_Sanity Meter: 40%_**

**_Death Counter: 36_**

**_Let's burn it all to the ground._**

* * *

_**Epic 30: The Escape Part 2**_

* * *

**"War is politics by another means."**

**Carl von Clausewitz**

* * *

**Switching POV: Naofumi**

The massive stone-bodied [Spriggan] bellowed at Naofumi and the rest of his party, right before it stampeded towards them with primal zeal, stone bludgeon raised above its head.

Naofumi raised his [Damned Prisoner Shield], ready to take the blow-

... The [Spriggan]'s blow brought him down to his knees, too heavy to tank, too massive to buffer, and too hard to defend against.

Naofumi then takes this window of time to look at the [Spriggan]'s stats.

**Name: [Stalwart Spriggan]**

**Level: 95**

**HP: 2,000/2,000**

**Note: [Stalwart]-Affix prevents this encounter from being [Stunned], [****Confused], [Horror], [Slowed], and [Silenced].**

"Oh great..." Naofumi grumbled out. "... The [Tyrant Dragon Shield] is all but useless here."

The [Spriggan] then punts Naofumi into the air, his body breaking through a house's wooden walls before making a hard landing into a bale of hay.

"... Ugh, this day blows." Naofumi grumbled out as he got back up to his feet.

He then hears another bellowing roar from the [Spriggan] outside the hamlet gates, followed up by cries coming from Filo and Raphtalia.

"Filo! Raphtalia!" Naofumi cried out as he ran out of the ruined cottage and back to the front.

The [Spriggan] continued its assault, swinging its stone club in heavy arcs of inertia, with so much as a graze from the club threatening to lop off a limb both by compound fracturing and amputation at the same time.

The stone club itself was a brutal weapon of itself, not because of its sheer size and weight, but because of its form. Too dull to be a blade, yet too sharp to be blunt, a crude contraption built to maim, this weapon, despite its primitive structure, was too inhumane to be called a weapon.

... It was nothing more than a slab of raw carbon, nothing else mattered as long as it was swung towards its enemy.

"GET DOWN!" Naofumi roared out as he spotted the [Spriggan] raise its club over Raphtalia. "[INTERCEPT]!"

Naofumi teleports himself where Raphtalia was at, absorbing the blow from the monster's massive mace, only to be knocked back alongside with Raphtalia, who was snacked right by his own flailed body, both of them getting impressive airtime before making a hard landing onto the dirt earth once more.

"Master..." Raphtalia heaved out. "... Are you okay?"

"Somehow..." Naofumi grunted out as he tried to get back up. "... HP's still in green, but it ain't doin' me any good as long as I get flung around like a chew toy."

Naofumi knew, that even with his absurdly high Defense and HP stats, neither does any well as long as he couldn't root himself to the ground against the impact's weight.

The monster's attacks themselves weren't doing any significant damage, but the fall damage from breaking through buildings and landing on the hard floor was doing more than enough damage to make the [Spriggan] a real concern.

How will he be able to defend his party if he kept getting flung off of his feet? Damage wasn't the real issue here. Knockback was.

Granted, the [Spriggan] itself wasn't particularly fast, but it's steady advance towards the hamlet's square was already proven to be impossible to even stop. Every step that the monster took, is step that refused to budge.

Too heavy to even move, too large to even stop, and too dangerous to be fought head on. Adding to the whole [Stalwart]-Affix that prevented from being affected by status aliments that hampers all mobility on top of all three former facts, the [Spriggan] was a literal _tank_.

"So how do I fight something that's bigger, heavier, and deadlier than me?" Naofumi asked. "Stone skin can barely be scratched, Melty is the only magic-user we have right now, and every time I take a hit, I get sent flying back, preventing me from keeping a firm grounding against it, preventing me from forming a solid defensive line..."

The captured bandit was still cackling madly, losing all dredges of whatever sanity he had left.

"... Hehehehe... Not even the infamous Devil of the Shield can stand a chance against the monster..." The bandit cackled out broken laughter as tears fell from his eyes. "... Honey, baby girl... I'll be there soon-"

The [Spriggan] simply stomps the bandit flat, splattering his giblets everywhere. After it scrapes the splattered corpse off of its foot against the grass before turning its attention towards Naofumi.

It begins to charge towards him, club raised over its head and ready to be swung down at a moment's notice.

_"If I can't block it..."_

Naofumi jumps out of the impact's way, the scattered dirt and pebbles peppering and drumming onto his shield and armor.

_"... Then I'll keep dodging, buying enough time for Reinchott and the others to escape." _Naofumi thought. _"Even then, if that thing __continues to run loose, more people are going to die. We have to stop it here, or else-"_

He then sees the [Spriggan]'s club glow in a lime-green aura.

**"... [Erupting Earth]."**

"What-"

Right after the monster spoke in a voice reminiscent of a gravel being stepped on, the club strikes the earth, emitting a massive tremor that begun to spike up spires of stone towards Naofumi and his party.

"MOVE!"

All three of them leap out of the ground spikes's trail, the streak of erected earth ending after destroying an entire wall segment surrounding the village, along with several cottages and fields behind it.

"... Yeah, that thing's out to kill." Naofumi remarked. "Here it comes!"

The [Spriggan] then begins to drum the earth with its club, erecting several sharp spires of hardened earth around it, indiscriminately reshaping the flat terrain into akin to a back of a certain shelled dinosaur.

"EYARGH!" Filo cried out as she transformed into her [Filolial Queen] form and charges ahead towards the [Spriggan]. "[High Quick]!"

The [Filolial Queen] speeds up into a blur, suddenly appearing before the titan.

Filo rams her beak against the [Spriggan]'s stone skin, only for it to cause a measly one damage.

"... Uh oh." Filo squacked.

The [Spriggan] then grabs her by her head with its massive hand, lifting her up by her head, then slamming her back down onto the earth, leaving a visible crater around the impact of where her head landed.

"Filo!" Naofumi cried out as the [Spriggan] raised its large foot over her head, ready to bring it down with the intent of crushing her head underfoot. "[Intercept]!"

Naofumi teleports between Filo and the [Spriggan], [Forbidden Shield] raised up, and clashes against the [Spriggan]'s heavy footing as Raphtalia dragged Filo out of the way.

**"Human... puny."** The [Spriggan] sneered out in its gravely voice.** "... Crush you... like an insect."**

"Master!"

Raphtalia charges back in, slashing and hacking away at the titan's exposed tree root parts that acted as its muscles, but even as Naofumi saw her hacking away at the plant parts, the [Spriggan]'s fibers simply grew back instantaneously.

**"... Twig."**

The [Spriggan] sweeps aside the tanuki girl off of its body with its free hand, the girl getting out of the way of the sweep before landing on top of the [Spriggan]'s head.

"[First Light]!" Raphtalia casted as she shone a ball of bright light right in front of the [Spriggan]'s eyes, causing it to lose focus and lay off some pressure from Naofumi's shield, allowing him to break free from the [Spriggan]'s foot and run for it.

And in a twist of good and bad timing, the [Spriggan] begins stamping the earth with its feet upon noticing that Naofumi wasn't below its sole anymore, causing even more tremors with its temper tantrum, knocking down even more walls and brining down several cottages from the ensuing earthquake.

Naofumi's whole party tumbles to the ground from all the tremors from the [Spriggan]'s [Earthquake] attack, sans Raphtalia, who was keeping a firm grip on the titan's head even as the earth continued to shake.

**"... So... annoying."** The [Spriggan] remarked as it moved its hand next to its head, tensing back its index finger with its thumb.** "Buzz off..."**

Raphtalia was then flicked off of the [Spriggan]'s head, shattering her [Steel Longsword] and the bones in her right arm into pieces as she was flung towards the pile of fallen wooden walls and debris.

"RAPHTALIA!" Naofumi cried out as he ran towards the disturbed pile.

The tanuki-girl cries out in pain, grasping onto her arm, now completely flaccid and and limp as a hose trunk from the compounded fractures in her entire right arm.

"Master..." Raphtalia winced out in utter pain.

"Hang on, I'll get you back up." Naofumi stated. "[High Healing]!"

A wave of verdant light radiates over Raphtalia's arm, mending her fractures and soothing her pain.

"You alright?" Naofumi asked Raphtalia. "Can you still fight?"

"... My right arm feels really numb." Raphtalia remarked regretfully. "Even if I can pick up a weapon, my sword is completely destroyed, and I don't think the [Mana Blade] will do anything since the monster isn't using any magic at all..."

Filo meanwhile, was currently on top of the [Spriggan]'s head, drumming at it with her [Dwarven Gloves], only for the [Spriggan] to scoff at her attempts as an annoyance.

**"... So puny."** The [Spriggan] yawned out.** "... Like a tick."**

It then picks her off of its head by the hem of her dress like a tick, right before it flings her up into the air, winds its club back, and swings it towards her falling self like a one-man/titan _battery mate_.

**"... [Gravel Hammer]." **

"[Intercept]! And [Shield Prison]!"

Naofumi teleports in front of Filo encasing both of them into a chained sphere of shields, the club then strikes the encasement, forming a sizable dent in their encasement and knocking the two of them around like pinballs at the same time, sending them both careening through another log cabin akin to a steel comet ripping through the earth.

The [Shield Prison] dissipates, both Naofumi and Filo battered and bruised purple all over.

"You okay... Filo?" Naofumi grumbled out.

"I see stars everywhere..." Filo grumbled out discoherently.

"MASTER!" Naofumi cried out as he saw her run towards the two of them, still grasping onto her limp right arm.

"Still alive..." Naofumi grunted out as he got back up, ignoring the numerous splinters on his bare palms. "... We really need to stop that thing before it causes more damage."

"Ah!" Filo exclaimed as she pointed towards the gates, now breached by the [Spriggan]. "There it is!"

"What do we do!?" Raphtalia asked. "My sword can't even scratch through its stone skin or it's sinews! They heal up too quickly!"

"And the stone is too hard to be punched through!" Filo pouted out as she flailed her legs in a tantrum. "These gloves from Mr. Erhard are about to rip!"

It was too true, as their current weapons were inadequate to deal with the titan lumbering towards them.

"Wait..." Naofumi muttered out. "... Raphtalia, you notice something about the [Spriggan]?"

"Well, all I can see so far is that it's entirely made of stone and... _plants_." Raphtalia pointed out as she connected the dots together. "... Don't tell me!?"

"As soon as I give the signal, take Filo, and run like hell." Naofumi answered. "And no, we're not packing any herbicide or poison, and not to mention, it'll ground us to paste before we can start a fire, let alone setting it ablaze in the first place. Not to mention, the only mage we have happens to be an underleveled princess of a soon-to-be-wasted kingdom."

The tanuki-girl hesitates for a moment before slinging Filo over her shoulder.

"... Please come back alive, master." Raphtalia remarked as she took the flailing Filo over her shoulder and sprinted back towards the village square.

Now all that remained was Naofumi being stared down at the titanic [Spriggan], it's beady topaz eyes centered towards him.

"Just you and me, jumbo..." Naofumi remarked as he braced his shield. "... Now let's do this shit."

The menu interface in his eyes then begins to glow blood-red as he activates his [Wrath Shield 2]-

"ARRRRAGH!"

The sudden shock of pain courses through his whole body, as if a heavy torrent of water was crushing his whole body. The sensations of rage and resentment, the sinews in his muscles screaming in agony as this borderline inhumane and disgusting power overwhelmed him.

His whole soul was enveloped in the flames of hell itself, his body was being contorted and twisted in all directions as this unfamiliar sensation flowed throughout his body, and his mind was roaring and screeching in only the following words.

**KILL. MAIM. BURN.**

**KILL, MAMM, BURN.**

**KILL! MAIM! BURN!**

**"What's going on!?"** Naofumi roared through his [Cursed Series-Wrath].** "Why is this happening!?"**

A voice then echoed in his mind.

**"HE DID THIS! THIS IS FAULT THAT WE'RE IN THIS SHIT!"** His_ own voice_ screeched out in his mind.** "THIS IS ALL NAN'S DOING! THAT BASTARD ISN'T JOKING ABOUT BEING A VILLAIN! HE LED US TO THIS TRAP, RIGHT INTO THIS VILLAGE, WITH REINCHOTT AND THE VILLAGERS AS BAIT, AND WE FELL FOR IT LIKE IDIOTS!"**

Naofumi then saw _himself_, covered in a red aura screaming murder, right before him in the void of his own mind.

**"THAT BASTARD WILL BURN FOR THIS! THAT BASTARD WILL PAY FOR HIS BETRAYAL!"** The Wrath!Naofumi roared at his face.** "HE SET US UP, DOWN TO OUR EXECUTION! HE CODDLED US SO WE CAN BE PLAYED FOR FOOLS!"**

The Wrath!Naofumi then suddenly morphs into a flaming visage of Nan.

**"You, fucking, simpleton." **Wrath!Nan mocked at his face. **"A mere_ puppet_, right to the very end."**

The burning and smoldering feeling in his chest begins to swell and singe inside of Naofumi.

**"Do play your role to the very end."** Wrath!Nan remarked as he bopped Naofumi's nose with his finger.** "I need you to live, after all. After that, I'll dispose of you at my leisure. The three stooges are barely a threat, but just being Shemp filming Evil Dead doesn't get you any further upward on the food chain. So do yourself a favor and do your best. It won't matter once I inevitably stomp you and your little bitches to the dirt."**

A flash of Nan and his party standing atop of a flaming mountain of corpses erected before him.

The feeling of burning in his chest continued to intensify, the feeling of his own weakness failing him in the end.

Not because of a racist country, nor because of a spiteful old man with a throne glued onto his ass, nor is it because of that red-haired bitch of a princess.

... All of those paled, compared to Nan's lunacy. His mere thoughts permeating out of his mind sow chaos and discord everywhere he sets his foot on. His words were poison to everyone's souls, polluting everyone's being into utter madness. Nan's claim to his moniker as the "Demon King" was no exaggeration.

It was instead, his _aspiration_, to wreck havoc upon this world, to punish it for its injustice, and for his own self-gratification.

**"URAGGHHHHHH!"**

The flames took his being, and a vile power flowed throughout his body, Naofumi letting out the most throat-straining scream he'd let out in his entire life.

**[Wrath Shield 3] Unlocked**

**[Blutschwur Märtyrer, Gottfried] and [Forsaken Tyrant's Prison Shield] Unlocked; Use [Tyrant Dragon Shield], [Damned Prisoner Shield], and [Wrath Shield 3] ****simultaneously to activate [Summon]**

Naofumi emerges from the blood-red flames, his skin covered in scar-like runes, his [Barbarian Armor] now overlaid with sharpened spine-like black armor, and his [Forbidden Shield] has now morphed into the visage of a chained dragon's head, it's fanged rows of teeth snarling as it tried to break free from its shackles.

**"... Hate... hate... HAATEE!"** Naofumi snarled out. The pain of the [Wrath Shield] was dampened thanks to the built-in bonuses from his [-Fallen] promotion that mitigated the negative effects of his [Cursed Series], but in turn, the torrent of negative energy was double that of his previous usage of his [Curse Series], a moment of hesitation, threatening his soul to be lost to the darkness of his own hatred forever.

The [Spriggan] simply lets out a scoff, right before it begins to stamp the ground repeatedly, causing massive tremors all over, trying to knock Naofumi off of his current footing before it charged towards him with its club raised and its roar bellowing from its stoney teeth and molars.

**"YOU THINK THE SAME SHIT WILL WORK TWICE!?"**

His [Wrath Shield 3] then burns even brighter with its chthonian flames.

**"[Summon]..."** Naofumi chanted as he activated both his [Tyrant Dragon Shield], [Damned Prisoner Shield] and [Wrath Shield 3] at the same time. **"...** **[Blutschwur Märtyrer, Gottfried]."**

The shield then transforming into a bulwark resembling a chained gate, identified as the [Forsaken Tyrant's Prison Shield].

From between the jet-black chains over the gates, a dragon's head emerged from the gates holding it back, but from the unleashed dragon's maw, it _forcibly_ opened itself to reveal a demonic armored knight emerging from the gagging dragon's throat, its dark armor covered to the brim with spikes like an iron maiden turned inside out, its hands begin more akin to a bramble of thorns that vaguely resembled quad-prodded mandibles rather than fully-articulated fingers, the gaps of its barbed armor armor plating dripping with freshly-boiled blood like a leaking barrel of wine, with special mention going to its helmet, a helmet in likeness to a visage of a wailing woman, its eyes, nose, and lips seeping with blood trailing down from its obsidian cheeks.

**"WHO DARES!?"** Gottfried roared out with a voice even deeper than the [Spriggan]'s, struggling to break free from both the dragon's maw and the gate imprisoning it. ** "WHO DARES TO UNLEASH THE INCARNATION OF SACRIFICE, THE FORSAKEN KNIGHT OF THE ORDER OF THE IRON MAIDEN MARTYRS, AND THE ONE WHO FELL TO THE TYRANT DRAGON KING ITSELF!?"**

The [Spriggan], even as it faced against this eldritch-looking black knight from his [Forsaken Tyrant's Prison Shield], continued its charge towards Naofumi's direction.

**"IT'S YOU! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S BROUGHT ME OUT TO THIS ACCURSED WORLD!"** Gottfried roared out as it pointed its barbed finger towards the titan.** "I'LL SMOTHER YOU TO YOUR LAST BREATH, CRETAN!"**

The black knight simply lashes towards the [Spriggan], still attached to the dragon's head that it emerged from, thrashing and grappling with the masonry titan, dragging Naofumi along with it like a boy being walked by his overeager and outsized dog.

The [Spriggan] than notices Naofumi heading towards him, and attempts to grab him with its free hand.

**"HELL NO!"** Both Naofumi and Gottfried roared out in unison.** "[SHIELD PRISON-HEDGEHOG]!"**

Instead of the normal silver shields that composed the regular [Shield Prison], [Shield Prison-Hedgehog] instead covered Naofumi with jet-black colored bulwarks covered with flaming sword blades, piercing though the [Spriggan]'s stone hand like hot knife through butter, forcing the titan to retract its grip, and allowing Gottfried to take a few free hits into it, and rake its barbed claws into the titan's heels, causing it to buckle down to its knee.

Gottfried then continues to lay down more pressure unto the downed titan, digging its fingers into the [Spriggan]'s stone face, ripping it in half, only to reveal a face made of intertwined roots and bark, it's pair of topaz eyes glowing menacingly towards Gottfried, undeterred.

**"NOW I SHALL TAKE YOU DOWN WITH ME, BACK TO THE DAMNED OBLIVION!"** Gottfried roared out at the [Spriggan]'s exposed face.** "[BLUTBANK SABBAT]!"**

The knight's armor spikes elongates into sword-like protrusions, right as it glomps onto the titan's face with its entire upper torso, piercing through its stone face and bark innards, and with a single pull, rips off the [Spriggan]'s entire head, causing it to fall onto its other knee, now completely helpless and unable to fight any further.

With a final strain, the black knight pulls the entirety of the titan's headless body along with its head, dragging it back into the [Forsaken Tyrant's Prison Shield], cramming the disproportionately large stone frame into the gates of the purgatorial void inside of Naofumi's [Forsaken Tyrant's Prison Shield].

Amidst the struggle however, Naofumi catches a glimpse of a lithe, green humanoid ejecting from the the stone body like some sort of mech suit pilot. But before Naofumi can order Gottfried to switch priorities, the black knight was already dragging the [Spriggan]'s stone body into the boiling pitch black, right before shutting the gates and chaining it down.

**"Shit!"** Naofumi cursed as he tried to pry open the gates on his shield with his bare hands, only for a message to show up on his HUD.

**[Blutschwur Märtyrer, Gottfried] Cooldown Period: 5 Hours and 59 Minutes.**

**"FUCK!" **Naofumi banged against the gates, right before it turned back into his regular jet-black colored [Forbidden Shield], and forcibly deactivating his [Cursed Series]. "GET BACK HERE-"

Naofumi suddenly goes limp, right before he falls flat onto his face in exhaustion from the strain of using his [Cursed Series] (and being dragged along by a psychotic black knight like a dog leash for the past minute).

Thankfully, it turns out that Nan was sort of correct about the [-Fallen] Class branch mitigating the [Cursed Series] penalties. He's only lost only one level where last time, he lost _six_.

"Get back... here..." Naofumi groaned out as he reached out towards the fleeing green humanoid.

But as he reached out, he then hears a stamping sound trembling on the ground that he was lying down on, followed up by his vision being obscured by a trail of dust, then followed up by a kiai-squack as he saw a giant bipedal bird trample down onto the humanoid.

"... Filo?" Naofumi groaned out.

"Come on master." He heard Raphtalia's voice as he was slowly picked off from the ground. "There we go..."

"Ugh... thanks." Naofumi grunted out. "... How the hell did you get here so quickly?"

"Filo." Raphtalia answered. "That and well, the whole ground suddenly stopped shaking kinda gave it away."

As Naofumi slowly straightened his vision, he saw that Filo was standing triumphantly on top of a fallen plant-boy, presumably, the true form of the [Spriggan].

"Heh heh." Filo giggled out proudly. "Master! I got him!"

"Nice work." Naofumi remarked. "Let's finish it off before it does anything-"

The [Spriggan] simply lets out a wicked smile as Naofumi and Raphtalia drew closer to it.

**"The only ones that are finished..."** The [Spriggan] cackled out.** "... ARE_ ALL_ OF YOU!"**

The [Spriggan]'s head then blooms into that of something akin to a green flower, at the center containing blood-red pollen.

"GET BACK-"

**"[SPORE RAIN]!"**

The [Spriggan], in its last act of defiance, explodes its own head into a red cloud of pollen, with Filo taking the full brunt of the blast of the plant's powder.

"FILO!" Naofumi cried out as he tried to shield himself and Raphtalia from the red spores scattered into the air.

As the cloud of spore dissipates, the silhouette of a little girl with a pair of bird wings on her back appears.

"Oh thank god, she's alright-"

The mere thought and hopes of their [Filolial Queen] being alright were quickly thrown out of the window when both Naofumi and Raphtalia saw Filo standing next to the headless corpse of the [Spriggan] with a blank expression that accentuated her now-completely _bloodshot_ pair of widened eyes with shrunken irises that resembled pinpricks.

"... Filo?" Raphtalia worryingly called out.

The Filolial then lets out a loud and shrill screech before pouncing onto Raphtalia like a rabid animal, flailing and thrashing around and on her, foaming from the mouth, and bashing onto her head with her fists in an unhinged display of madness.

"FILO!" Naofumi cried out he tried to pull the now-crazed [Filolial Queen] off of Raphtalia. "WHAT'S GOING ON!? SNAP OUT OF IT!"

He then looked towards Filo's status, now with a [Berserk] aliment label on top of her HP bar.

Before he can mull on the revelation any further, Filo suddenly turns her rage towards Naofumi, now pulling him by his hair while she snarls and howls like a rabid animal.

"FILO!" Naofumi cried out as he tried to break free from her grasp. "ON MY ORDERS, CEASE YOUR TANTRUM!"

Filo's [Slave Brand] reacts with jolts of lightning shocking her, but Filo's [Berserk] aliment prevented her from feeling anything but her own frenzy, rendering her restraining brand completely useless.

"Naofumi!" He heard Melty's voice through Filo's gnawing and clawing on his head as he tried to rip her off of his face. "What's going on-"

"STAY BACK-"

It was too late, for in the next second, Filo's bare hands were now constricted around Melty's neck.

"F...ilo..." Melty distraughtly choked out. "Wh..at's going... on-"

"IT'S THE SPORES FROM THE [SPRIGGAN]!" Naofumi cried out as he and Raphtalia tried to break away Filo from Melty. "SHE'S NOT HERSELF RIGHT NOW!"

As the two tried to break the maddened Filo away from Melty, the princess's eyes begin to tear up.

"... Filo... please... wake up..." The princess sobbed out towards the bloodshot eyes of the feral [Filolial Queen] currently strangling her. "... It's me... Melty..."

As her eyes rolled back of her head, Melty then faints from the lack of air going through her body.

"... Melty?"

The two then successfully pull Filo off of Melty, all three of them tumbling and rolling back onto the dirt.

"You're alright..." Naofumi sighed out in relief. "Thank god..."

"Master?" Filo asked as she pointed towards the fainted princess. "What happened to her-"

Filo then starts screaming again, now clutching her head in pain.

"Filo!" Naofumi cried out as he embraced her in her panicked stated. "Stay with me! Stay with me-"

"MELTY!" Filo cried out hysterically. "I DIDN'T DO IT, BUT WHY ARE MY HANDS SHAKING!?"

Filo continued to flail in Naofumi's grasp.

"FILO! CALM DOWN-"

"LET ME GO!" Filo screeched out as she began to bawl out. "I HAVE TO GET AWAY FROM HER BEFORE I HURT HER AGAIN! MASTER! I'M BAD GIRL-"

In a sudden turn of events, Raphtalia slaps Filo right across her cheek.

"... OW!" Filo exclaimed out. "BIG SIS RAPHTALIA! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?"

"Are you a bad girl, Filo?" Raphtalia asked bluntly.

"... I am-"

"No, you're not." Raphtalia cut off Filo. "It was an accident, nothing more."

Filo then began to cry into Naofumi chest, bawling and wailing in her lament.

"I-*hic* I saw myself *hic* hurting Melty..." Filo sobbed out into Naofumi's chest. "Master... *hic*... I'm bad girl... I don't *hic* deserve to *hic* pull your carriage..."

"No Filo..." Naofumi reassured softly. "It wasn't your fault. Just be careful next time, alright? Right now, we need to get to safety and make sure that the others are alright."

He then walks towards the downed Melty, still unconscious from Filo's previous strangulation. Naofumi presses his ear against the princess's chest.

"... Good, she's still breathing." Naofumi stated as he picked the princess up and put her on his back. "Come on Filo, let's go."

Filo nods tearfully as she took Raphtalia's hand for some sort of an unspoken emotion counsel for the traumatized little girl.

"Hopefully, the others got out in time..." Naofumi remarked to himself.

They eventually reach the village square, only to find that no one left the spot that they were standing on.

"What's going on?" Naofumi asked. "I thought you guys were getting out!"

"... About that, Mr. [Shield Hero]." Reinchott gulped out nervously. "You might want to take a look what happened."

The nobleman then leads him to an open hole at the center of the gathering, revealing a caved-in chasm.

"You see, this village was coincidently built atop of a mining vein, and managing to woo the king to build an 'escape hatch' in case the region gets invaded again, and usually, we would've made it out of the village..." Reinchott's words nervously trailed off. "... But upon the ground quaking one too many times, the whole route caved in, meaning that we're going to have to escape on foot."

"Goddammit." Naofumi bitterly remarked. "At least the coast is mostly clear... I think."

Reinchott then looks at the unconscious Melty piggybacking Naofumi.

"... What happened?" Reinchott asked. "The princess was going outside to see what was going on, so what happened?"

"... Filo went crazy after she breathed into some red spores spouted out by a [Spriggan]." Naofumi answered. "I think that red shit in the air might be a hallucinogen, so be careful."

Naofumi then notices the nobleman's eyes widening upon hearing his testimony.

"... I'm sorry, Mr. [Shield Hero], but did you just say a [Spriggan]?" Reinchott asked in an alarmed tone.

"Almost got party wiped." Naofumi replied. "Why?"

The nobleman then firmly grasps onto Naofumi's shoulders with both of his hands while giving him a stern yet terrified look.

"Mr. [Shield Hero]..." Reinchott firmly stated. "... Those things went extinct 200 years ago, and now you're telling me that one of them just shown up to our gates!?"

"... According to one of the several bandits that happened to be ex-villagers, they several rampaging throughout Melromarc." Naofumi answered. "But before I can ask him any further, he got crushed underfoot and his remains got scraped against a boulder."

"... Judging by your expression, I can at least take it that you're not lying." Reinchott sighed out. "If what you say is true, then I can assume that nowhere is guaranteed safe... To think Melromarc was already perilous for demihumans... now everywhere is perilous for both races."

"... Why does that statement sound so... _familiar_?" Naofumi asked.

"Master, I feel really angry all of the sudden." Raphtalia remarked out of the blue.

Then Naofumi recalled the words of Wrath!Nan that appeared in his hallucinations.

_**"Do play your role to the very end. ****I need you to live, after all. After that, I'll dispose of you at my leisure. The three stooges are barely a threat, but just being Shemp filming Evil Dead doesn't get you any further upward on the food chain. So do yourself a favor and do your best. It won't matter once I inevitably stomp you and your little bitches to the dirt."**_

"... That son of a bitch." Nan muttered under his breath. "If he's behind this, I swear-"

"Pardon?" Reinchott asked.

"Nothing..." Naofumi sighed out. "Come on, we're not any safer anywhere than here, so might as well keep moving-"

"NOBODY MOVE!"

Behind them, a young human boy, malnourished and caked in dirt, heaving and panicking with his eyes both bloodshot and jaundiced, was holding a shiv against Keel's throat while pinning her arm behind her back.

"What's going on!?" Reinchott remarked.

"DON'T MOVE!" The boy bandit cried out as he pressed his knife against Keel's throat. "YOU MOVE, AND THIS DEVIL SPAWN DIES!"

A standoff occurs, a desperate boy turned bandit holds another child, a demihuman, but still, a fellow child regardless, as a hostage.

"DON'T ANY OF YOU FUCKING MOVE!" The boy cried out. "I WANT THE DEVIL OF THE SHIELD TO KILL HIMSELF IF HE WANTS THIS GIRL TO LIVE!"

"Calm down! Just drop the knife and-"

"MAKE ME!" The boy spat back as his shiv began to draw blood from Keel's nape. "THE DEVIL IS THE ONE WHO SENT THE MONSTERS TO MY HOME AND KILLED MY MOM AND DAD!"

Naofumi couldn't believe what he was seeing.

A human child, now reduced to complete squalor, taking another kid hostage, despite being clear that he'll gain nothing out of any bargain that he threatens Keel's life with, all in the name of simply spiting him and him only.

Nan's influence didn't simply start the fire as so much as he let it burn brighter by pouring gasoline onto it. He's burned away the veil of civility and has revealed the ugliness that lied beneath the facade called "civilization".

All former traces of a dignity of a human being, gone. All traces of sanity and reason, destroyed.

... In order to save Raphtalia's friend, he's going to have to murder a child. Nan has forced his whole party into flat-out _murder_.

He then sees Raphtalia's left hand slowly reaching for her [Kitchen Knife] sheathed behind her back, in a desperate attempt to save her long-lost friend.

Naofumi would normally protest for such rash course of action, but he himself was also completely short on any feasible options that doesn't end with someone getting maimed.

**Switching POV: Keel**

This was her worst and most terrifying moment. The dog-demihuman was now scared out of her mind of her life ending at the hands of a human child driven beyond the fringes of madness.

Her time at Rabier's domain was nothing short of hell, but here, it felt like she's well on her way to the actual hell in any moment.

She tried to scream for help, but no words came out. She tried to look towards her grown-up friend for help, but all she saw was an expression of hesitant dilemma, knowing full well that one wrong movement will result in her death.

She'd never thought that there were something more to fear other than Rabier's torture, but somehow, against all common sense, she was proven wrong.

She silently waited for her death, but amidst her inner silence, she remembered her savior's voice.

... Nan's voice.

_**"... Take responsibility. If one has a right to live, then fight for it if you must. Choose death over enslavement, liberation over suppression, the mad truth over the peaceful lie. Put this on your face, and let it take it from there."**_

... The mask that Nan gave it to her. The promise that she'd made to him.

Her survival, was now_ her_ responsibility.

The mad truth, was now that she's the only one left who can save herself.

She takes out a white mask with a yellow arch painted across the eyes and puts it onto her face, letting the latent energy of the mask course throughout her body...

_"... So this is what freedom feels like."_

Joy blossomed in her heart, as her body began ripping itself apart, and forming anew, shedding off all of her former weaknesses from her old body, starting by _burning_ her face.

**Switching POV: Raphtalia**

The next five seconds that transpired before here can only be described as "utter bullshit".

The mask that Keel had hidden in her plainclothes was now on her face, but as the boy tried to slash his shiv across her throat, she grabs his wrist, breaks it in her grip, slams his whole body towards the ground...

... And then suddenly, her entire right arm swelled up into the size akin to the [Spriggan]'s own arm, right before she crushed the boy with her bare fist into red paste.

**"IMMANA FLOSS MY TEETH WITH YOUR SPINE!" **The mutated Keel roared out, now under a different moniker.

**[Badass Psycho]**

**Keel-Facebasher Turn (Pro-Wrestling term puns, look it up).**

This... _madness_ was clearly Nan's handiwork.

**"HEY RAPHTALIA! LOOK AT ME!"** Keel happily remarked.** "I'M SO FUCKING JACKED RIGHT NOW!"**

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!?" Raphtalia exclaimed. "WHO DID THIS TO YOU!?"

**"Nan saved us! In turn, he taught us that our survival is our ****responsibility!" **Keel happily remarked. **"I'm no longer a kid anymore, Raphtalia! I can fight, just like you and the Shield Hero!"**

... That madman didn't save them. He corrupted them, in mind, body, and soul.

"This is so wrong..." Raphtalia remarked in an aghast tone. "KEEL! TAKE OFF THAT MASK RIGHT NOW!"

**"Why? So that I can go back to being weak again?"**

Keel then shoves down Raphtalia back onto the dirt.

**"Look ****Raphtalia, the past year of captivity as utter hell for me and the others, all because our cries for help were silenced in a land that doesn't care about us."** Keel bluntly stated.** "After the [Tome Fallen] saved our lives, you know what he did to us? He made us kill the same fat bastard that kept us like animals with our own two hands. It was then that I learned from him that in this cruel world, no one's out here to save us from the [Waves] or the kingdoms that refuse to band together in the name of a common good. Not the [Shield Hero], not the kingdom of Siltvelt or Shieldfreeden, and certainly as hell not you. It's everyone for themselves at this point, because if everyone's too busy to save everyone else, then screw those fuckers, I'm taking matters into my own hands."**

"SO SIMPLY GOING MAD WITH POWER IS YOUR ONLY OPTION!?" Raphtalia remarked.

Keel then lets out a deranged and maddened laughter upon hearing her former friend's words.

**"... Just when were you that STUPID, RAPHTALIA!?"**

Keel's bloated fist then takes a swing towards her, sending her careening away from her upon the impact.

"Raphtalia!" She heard her master's voice. "Get behind me!"

The villagers then scattered away from the mutated Keel, now on the verge of going on a rampage.

**"I wasn't saved by my best friend or her idol. So while we waited for help, several of my friends died captivity."** Keel spitefully remarked as she pointed her finger from her bloated right arm. **"... You left us to rot, Raphtalia, all because you wanted to play hero. WELL GUESS WHAT!? NOW IT'S YOUR TURN TO SUFFER! SUFFER LIKE RIFANA DID, RAPHTALIA-"**

Suddenly, a concentrated stream of arrows nailed onto her back akin to a pincushion.

"... Keel?" Raphtalia called out.

As the [Badass Psycho] fell to the ground, the white mask with the yellow arch falls off of Keel's face, revealing an azure-blue arch branded over her face, akin to how the arch on the mask streaked down both of her eyes.

"... Keel?"

Behind her bloated body, several figures, all clad in jade green and crimson, all of their faces obscured by a semi-translucent veils, and in their hands were a [Red Oak Compact Bow], nocked with another three arrows at the ready in case if they need to fire once more.

"... Keel-"

***THWACK***

A sharp heavy blunt strike hits the back of her head, forcing her consciousness to fade away to black.

**Switching POV: Unknown Spectator**

_"Is the [Shield Hero], Naofumi Iwatani secure?"_

_"Yes sir, along with his entire party, the villagers, and two nobles. Aside from the mutated villager that the Yuyuan Archers had to put down, no one else was hurt. Speaking of which, what are we to do with them? Amongst them, there's a nobleman and from what the current intel gives us, the Crown Princess of Melromarc herself."_

_"... Hmm, to think keeping tabs on the Mirellia's [Shadow] reaped this much of benefit. As for the party members, the villagers, and our well-bred human __compatriots, keep them alive. I'll need them all for leverage for our current... negotiations."_

_"Affirmative-"_

_"IF YOU LAY A SINGLE HAND ON THE PRINCESS, I SWEAR THAT I'LL-"_

_"Shut her up."_

_*THWACK*_

_"Thank you. Whoever did that, can I have your name?"_

_"Brother Syaoran from the Order of the White Oak. A level 95 [Monk]."_

_"Inform our esteemed brother in arms that's he's getting a small raise for his service, and of course, the rest of you will be owed handsomely, including the volunteer division from Siltvelt, of course."_

_"At once."_

_"Also, do tell that if the volunteer division does anything to our...guests, they will answer to me, **personally**. And not even the Three Houses or the Crown will come to save them, understood?"_

_"Yes sir, I'll spread the word at once."_

_"Do so, Captain Chen Gong. If I see so much as one single scar on any of them, I will do more than just strip them of their rank."_

**Switching POV: Genbu**

**"Urp... Methinks I drank too much."**

The black-skinned [Gremlin] vomits into a ditch before wiping his mouth with his wrist.

Another night on top of the [Admantortise]'s shell, another night of sweep operations and drinking until his fermented kidney couldn't take no more booze.

**"Urp..." **Genbu then begins to vomit. **"... I want to stop drinking, but the voices in my head are sayin' otherwise."**

The last few nights were a trial for the [Gremlin]. Visions of a celestial woman, cackling at the sight of worlds exploding into balls of light, a mass of darkness collecting numerous souls screaming and falling into the void below.

Both of them, despite their contradicting symbolism and imagery, felt exactly the same. Just because there are different paths doesn't mean that the destination isn't any different. In fact, one might say that two separate paths can lead to the same location.

... In hindsight, there are several different paths that Nan could've gone down for a better world, he just simply went the path that involves the most death.

To be fair though, the idea of a "better world" is subjective. From their perspective, slavery and racism are the kinds of evil that must be eradicated off the face of this earth. But to those living in the kingdoms such as Melromarc and Siltvelt?

A fact of life at best, a source of prosperity at worst.

As he stumbled back towards where the majority of the party were concentrated at, he bumps into someone's leg.

"Oh, excuse me."

Genbu looks up, only to find that black-haired girl with the slightly-slanted eyes.

**"... Ruo?"** Genbu grumbled out half-drunk.

"Nah, it's Rio." Rio remarked. "Rio Murasame? [Sword Hero]'s ex-girlfriend, and why the hell do you smell like booze?"

**"Oi, don't ya fucking judge til ya try it." **Genbu retorted.

"Not in this lifetime."

The two grumble as they continue to head towards the same direction.

"... So, what's keep you up at night?" Rio asked.

**"Aw shite, you noticed?"**

"Your stink of alcohol is putrid than usual." Rio pointed out. "That, and for the past two nights, you came back to your bunk like my dad."

**"Ah, fair enough."**

The two then sit by a bonfire, occupied by several other [Lizardmen], [Hellhounds], and Yaelia, all of them roasting skewered humans and demihumans over the fire., taking occasional bites out of their seared meat impaled through sharpened and bored-down logs.

"... Hey little guy, is it bad if I say that I'm already used to this whole Vlad Dracula shit in front of me?" Rio asked, visibly sweating with nervousness.

**"Eh, we been through worse."** Genbu dispassionately pointed out.** "Though you being whisked away here as a slave for demihumans from the start will do wonders."**

"... Yep, I can't go back to being normal." Rio bemoaned. "I belong to a carnival of killers now."

**"Eh, this whole damned world is a ****cavalcade of carnivals full of killers."** Genbu pointed out.** "We're just more badass than them, that's all."**

Rio lets out a small chuckle as she poked the charred wood with a stick.

"Yeah... guess how that's how all civilization were first erected." Rio bitterly pointed out as she chucked the stick into the flames. "First we killed animals for food and fur, then we started to kill people for them threatening their respective ways of life, then we began killing for their resources, then for ideology and nationalism, and finally, all sentient life has reached the point of killing their fellow man for sport. I think society solely exists to control our naturally-destructive tendencies, but after being shown two different examples from both worlds, former I got shanked to death by some arsehole calling himself Death Gun, then almost suffered a fate worse than death here, I can safely conclude that society in general in doing a very shitty job keeping people under control."

**"Tch. Not that we're any better, justified or not."** Genbu pointed out.** "Maybe that's why I've been drinking more than usual?"**

"Well, you do you." Rio remarked. "I'm just gonna stare at the fire for a bit before I go to sleep. I swear, the sweep-up operations we've been doing around the turtle's back makes me feel like we're in a war zone."

**"Face it, lassie. This whole damn world is a constant war zone."** Genbu remarked.** "The kiddo just woke em wolves up, that's all."**

"They're not wolves, they're_ lemmings_." Rio retorted. "They willingly walk towards their deaths every time they face us, and every time a single of them dies, ten more just fill up either our bellies or ditches as shit."

**"Ya say that like it's a bad thing."**

"It would be... if they weren't such assholes about it." Rio sighed out.

Suddenly, the [Lizardman] offers her a human leg.

"... Sorry." Rio raised her hands between her face and the meat. "I just had dinner."

"Always... room... for one... more-"

The [Lizardman] then vanishes right in front of her, along with the [Hellhounds] and the [Shiryu].

"... Genbu?" Rio asked.

**"... The whole damn place has gone silent."** Genbu remarked as he placed his hand on the pommel of his shortsword.** "Every one of the boyo's [Summons]... They're gone."**

From the distance, all of the party members gathered towards where the bonfire was at, just as unsure as the two.

"What's going on?" Byakko asked. "A minute ago, I was feeding the [Cerberus Hades], and the next moment, it vanished into thin air!"

**"Same here for the [Lizardmen], [Hellhounds], and Yaelia."** Genbu pointed out.** "But somehow, not me."**

"What, how are you still here?" Rino pointed out. "Aren't you one of bossman's [Summons]?"

**"Not really."** Genbu pointed out.** "I joined him of my free will."**

"So that means that the only the [Summons] are being forcibly recalled." Byakko remarked. "Explains why Alpha, Beta, and Chi are still around despite being [Summons]."

"Yeah, turns out we're registered as party members." Chi pointed out. "But that doesn't explain why the [Admantortise] didn't go up in smoke."

"... Perhaps there's a size limit to this phenomenon?" Theresa stated. "I mean, there's a weird feeling in the air, disrupting Nan's flow of mana throughout the whole area on Kaido's shell..."

Genbu then looks at Glass who's hanging her arm over L'Arc's shoulder.

**"... What's with ya, lassie?"** Genbu pointed out.** "You look wasted, and not the alcoholic-kind."**

"I was afraid of this eventually coming..." Glass groaned out in a strained voice. "But after hearing Theresa's statement, I think I can guess what this phenomenon is..."

"Well, spill it." Rio pointed out.

"... It's [Anti-Magic]." Glass heaved out. "And lots of it-"

"GUYS!"

From a distance, Garou, Fubuki, Seiryu, Suzaku come running towards the bonfire.

"What is it?" L'Arc asked.

"... We got lots of flying shit coming our way." Garou heaved out. "[Wyverns], a whole flock of em!"

"And correct me if I'm wrong, but I think they're carrying people on their backs." Seiryu interjected. "By that, I mean all of them."

"Also, the [Summons] suddenly disappeared before our eyes." Fubuki stated. "Our numbers are cut in half, and at this rate, we'll be set upon our heads!"

A fireball streaks past their heads, and crashes onto one of the sheds, setting on fire.

From the shrubs, several [Wyverns], all dressed in armor, carrying armored pikemen on their backs, flew towards the whole party with their pikes pointed towards them.

"KILL THEM!" The mounted pikemen roared out. "DEATH TO THE DEMON KING-"

Suddenly, a loose door hits the lead pikeman in the head, knocking him off of the [Wyvern]'s back, causing the armored man to roll onto the dirt before falling off of the [Admantortise]'s shell towards his death.

Everyone, including the ones on the [Wyvern]'s backs, looks towards where the loose door came from.

From the fringes of the makeshift home base, was none other than Nan, his pegleg raised up, his right armpit cradling a crutch, and his other hand grabbing Malty by her hair.

**"... Boyo, did ya just kick the door off its hinges with ya pegleg?" **Genbu asked.

All they saw Nan do was simply take deep breath before bellowing out the most "done with your shit"-exclamation possible.

**"THE FUCKING HELL IS GOING ON HERE!?"**

Nan then draws his [Grimoire Heart], points it towards the pikemen, and shoots the armored [Wyvern] dead with a [Lava Spout], melting its plate armor into its skull, thrashing around its entire body, swinging its barbed tail around, hitting several pikemen off of their mounts, right before it falls dead.

Everyone just stares in silence right before they notice each other.

"KILL THEM!" Both side roared out in unison as the whole [Admantortise]'s shell went straight to hell.

... At least that was one way to work off the hangover. Such is the life of a [Gremlin].

"HEY! THE HECK'S GOING ON OUTSIDE!?"

"SHIT! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK! GRAB SOMETHING SHARP!"

"SOMEBODY KEEP MY BABY GIRL SAFE!"

... Scratch that, he's going to need another liver by the end of this long night.

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **One shitstorm after another... The world of the Shield Hero is not a kind one, and my self-insert is stirring up the hornet's nest something fierce.

Villagers turning into Bandits and Psychos from Borderlands, high-level monsters roaming the lands, and a greater political scheme that involves the Shield Hero...

... Yeah, things are going to shit. But if there's any consolation, is the fact that I managed to put in one joke at the end of this Epic, absurd as it may be.

Times are though these days, and my sanity is being tested to its highest exertion. Wish you all the safe in these trying times, whether quarantined or protesting, remember to watch yourselves and your health.

... I wish that I could phrase that a bit better.

* * *

_**Current Party Members:**_

* * *

**Name: [Great Scourge], Nan Hon-Jah**

**Class: [Tome Fallen]**

**Level: 80**

**Affinity: [All Eight Elements] & [Ten Primordial Sins]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Mad**

**Equipment: ****[Forbidden Tome, Grimm the Heretic], [Grimoire Heart], [Lemegeton], [****Sibylline****], [Necromancer's Robes], [Mire Boots], [Wight's Rune of Spite], [Silver Wolf's Maw], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Visage of Madness], [Mystic Geas: Puppeteer], [Portable Dragon's Hourglass], [Slayer's Rusted Plate Armor]**

**Legion: None**

**Attack: 95 (+195)**

**Defense: 92 (+40)**

**Agility: 90 (+35)**

**Luck: 85 (+45)**

**HP: 700 (+105)**

**MP: 820 (+305)**

* * *

**Name: Garou**

**Class: [Brawler]**

**Level: 84**

**Affinity: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Assassin's Leather Armor], [Nightshroud], [Blade Gauntlets], [Primal Claws], [Katars]**

**Attack: 107 (+50)**

**Defense: 75 (-20)**

**Agility: 115 (+65)**

**Luck: 61 (+20)**

**HP: 910 (+20)**

**MP: 360 (-100)**

* * *

**Name: Fubuki**

**Class: [Monk]**

**Level: 83**

**Affinity: [Ice]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Twilight Gunstaff], [Darkbane Gauntlets], [Twilight Cloak], [Twilight Hunter's Hood], [Mana Medallion]**

**Legion: None**

**Attack: 94 (+45)**

**Defense: 67 (+30)**

**Agility: 104 (+25)**

**Luck: 96 (+20)**

**HP: 630 (-50)**

**MP: 1,020 (+100)**

* * *

**Name: Genbu**

**Class: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Affinity: None**

**Alignment: ?**

**Equipment: [Wayward Nomad's Garbs], [Silver Pocket Watch & Chain], [Silver Shortsword], [Silver Buckler], [Fafnir's Flametongue]**

**Attack: ?**

**Defense: ?**

**Agility: ?**

**Luck: 9,999**

**HP: ?**

**MP: ?**

* * *

**Name: Rino**

**Class: [Assassin]**

**Level: 75**

**Affinity: [Earth]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Brave Compound Bow], [Spark Dagger], [Steel Throwing Knives x20], [Assassin's Cloak], [Shadow Mufflers], [Silent Step Sandals]**

**Legion: None**

**Attack: 82 (+80)**

**Defense: 50 (+10)**

**Agility: 108 (+120)**

**Luck: 97 (+90)**

**HP: 450 (+40)**

**MP: 400 (+40)**

* * *

**Name: Glass**

**Class: [Phantom Fan Saint]**

**Level: 93**

**Affinity: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Sacred Fans], [Kimono of Mourning], [Pristine Visage]**

**Legion: [Blood-Oath Zealots]**

**Attack: 108 (+50)**

**Defense: 87 (+70)**

**Agility: 129 (+50)**

**Luck: 59 (+100)**

**HP: 820 (+200)**

**MP: 890 (+250)**

* * *

So what do you think of this Epic?

Just what kind of shit did Naofumi and his party walk into this time?

Just what plans does our stranger have for the Shield Hero?

And just how the hell did Nan kick a door off of its hinges with a fucking pegleg?

Does anything even make sense anymore (both in the fic and IRL)?

Please leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what the audience is thinking!


	32. Epic 31: The Escape Part Finale

**_Commencing Second Cour of Chronicles of the Wayward Tome Hero._**

**_(Still) Waiting for Season 2..._**

**_Finger Count: 4/10_**

**_Eye Count: 2/2_**

**_Arm Count: 1/2_**

**_Leg Count: 1/2_**

**_Sanity Meter: 30%_**

**_Death Counter: 36_**

**_Let's burn it all to the ground._**

* * *

_**Epic 31: The Escape Part Finale**_

* * *

**"He who makes a beast of himself removes himself from the pain of being human."**

**Dr. Samuel Johnson**

* * *

**Switching POV: Back to 1st Person**

... There are a few things in the world that piss me off the most.

Wasting food, violating the natural rights of people's freedom of choice and life, and waking me up before 6:00 in the morning.

Granted, I was no longer of considered to be sound of mind to be rightfully mad at them, but then again, people native to this shithole of a rock of dirt and water can't be bothered to, I dunno, knock on the door first.

On the plus side, my head feels a bit lighter, but the lightheadedness then immediately becomes all woozy and I guess this is what you call getting my supply cut off.

... Because as far as I was concerned-

*SHRUCK*

... It takes a fucking [Trident] to the gut for me to regain my 20/20 vision in a flash.

"Heeeey buddy." I called out to the terrified armored stranger with the polearm, trying to pull it out, but my left hand grasped onto the upper shaft, firmly locking it in place. "Can explain why you've come to our home dick-first, without a condom?"

The armored man says nothing, sans but the grunts of his struggle.

Watching the pitiful man, who didn't even pack a spare weapon around his belt, I simply pull out my [Grimoire Heart], load the six shots of rolled-up tome pages into the chambers, pull back on the hammer with my silver thumb, point the barrel at the young man's helmeted head...

*CLICK*

*BOOM*

... Gray matter, _everywhere_.

"... Malty, quick question, but whenever you do this kind of shit, is it normal for you to feel something weird between your legs?" I legitimately asked. "Because for me, I'm kinda getting a little-rock hard."

"LET ME GO, YOU PSYCHOPATH!" Malty screeched out. "HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!"

As if someone can hear her cries of help from afar, a [Wyvern Knight] comes charging towards me.

"Oh no you don't!" I cried out. "[Dritte Fireball]!"

... Nothing.

Oh right. My mana is being held under an interference.

"Goddammit muscle memory-"

Thankfully, Malty was there to take the most of the impact of the [Wyvern]'s tail lashing out at us, but in return, I was her cushion, and we both ended up with hairline fractures at our ribs.

"OHOHOWWW!" I yipped out. "... How are you holding up, princess?"

I saw her cough out a wad of blood at my face, on purpose.

"... Get used to being my meat shield, because that's the only job that you're good for!" I cheerly remarked right before we were both mounted onto by the [Wyvern]'s foot.

"DIE!"

I saw the [Trident] coming down towards my face, but at the last second, I bite down onto the spearhead with my [Silver Wolf Maw], snapping it off of the wooden shaft, and just before he retracted the polearm, I aim my gun towards his head, and...

*BANG*

*THUD*

... Thank you Banzai Chargers from WaW. Never thought that this would come in handy. Although that was just one problem solved out of two.

The [Wyvern] itself was snapping its jaws at both of us, with my left arm acting as the only thing between ourselves as the [Wyvern]'s next late-night meal and the snarling snapping maws.

"Aw shit shit shit shit shit!" I panicked.

"I AM NOT DYING HERE, ESPECIALLY AS SOME MONSTER'S DINNER!" Malty cried out.

"THEN SHUT UP AND LET ME DO MY SHIT!"

If I recall correctly, every reptile, whether from a common newt to a majestic dragon, every one of them, has a reverse scale.

Touch then, and the effect varies, ranging from mild discomfort to flat out apeshit rage.

Amidst the struggle, I spot one under the [Wyvern]'s chin, jutting forward instead of backward.

"Well, here's goes nothing!"

I then punch the lizard on its reverse scale, causing it go completely apeshit...

... And rip my artificial left arm off of my socket in its enraged state.

"OH FUUUCCCKK!" I cried out as the [Wyvern] took off on a rampage with my [Sibylline] in its mouth. "OH GOD! OH GOD! NOT AGAIN!"

Malty herself was half-laughing and half-shrieking at my misfortune.

"OH KEEP YUKKING, YA PROMISCOUS BITCH!" I retorted as I used her as support to pick myself up off of the ground, blood seeping out of my missing left arm. "I ONLY NEED ONE ARM TO STAB A BITCH!"

I then put her neck on a chokehold with my sole right arm, my gun aimed adjacent to her left cheek, and my thumb switch-blade pointed to her jugular.

"Be a lamb and be my spotter for anyone out to kill us, if you will?" I sweetly whispered into her ear. "Not a hard job, all I need are you eyes and ears open towards the enemy."

"WHY WOULD I-"

A crossbow bolt whizzes past the two of us, grazing her cheek.

"... The next bolt will end up in your heart if you don't cooperate." I threatened. "As far as I'm concerned, your survival is your own responsibility-"

"[WYVERN]!"

Behind us, the same [Wyvern] that I pissed off a minute ago came rushing towards us.

Using the knowledge I've accumulated from playing Monster Hunter 4, I pull the Superman leap, scraping Malty's face across the dirt as the bipedal lizard rammed its horned head through a tree, causing a camping [Sniper] to fall onto the [Wyvern], and contrary to video game logic, real-life logistics dictate that separate soldiers have their own roles that they mustn't deviate from unless the given circumstances force them to.

Ergo, a [Sniper], a long-range combat support unit, was ill-suited to try and ride on top of an enraged [Wyvern], and for his fallacy, gets the entire left side of his face gored by the [Wyvern]'s horn on its flailing head, his wound-back [Crossbow] coming loose and firing unto a friendly [War Mage] that emerged behind the thrushes with a bolt on his arm, right before he gets his entire lower jaw ripped off from the sheer force of the [Wyvern]'s barbed tail smacking him in the face, possibly killing him on the spot.

... All of that shit, in less than five seconds.

"Suddenly, I feel like I'm in Afghanistan in 2003 right now." I dryly remarked as I tried to formulate my next move.

Normally, I would consult Grimm for advice, but due to my flow of mana being interfered by an unknown source, I'm practically left on my own wits to survive the night.

... Also, worst timing possible, but I kinda have elevation sickness. And the sole cure of Gatorade and Red Bull doesn't exist in this world, so now, my woozy head kicks in at the worst timing possible.

"Goddammit, not now..." I groaned out. "... Come on, move!"

I grunt out as I try to get back up to my feet, and during my struggle to get back up, I spot Malty trying to escape, but thankfully...

... A comatose Grimm still made good snare, as she made the mistake of stepping into a chain loop before tripping over, allowing me to reclaim her as my meat shield.

"Come on, princess~!" I smirked out. "If we're gonna die, then we'll do it together!"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU PROMISED ME, YOU CREEP!"

"Hey, plans change." I remarked as we both got up, and just in time to face the enraged [Wyvern] that I pissed off. "... Now princess, we're gonna play a game. It's called [Wyvern]-fighting."

"And what does that mean-"

The [Wyvern] then charges towards us on the ground, opting out of flying entirely, just to close into on us more precisely, just like the Rathalos.

"... _TORO_!"

I then evade the charging [Wyvern] using Malty's body as my fulcrum, causing the lizard to charge into the [Wyvern Knights] behind me, causing a pileup that caused several forced dismounts.

Then taking advantage of the scramble, I fire my [Grimoire Heart] at the dismounted pikemen, letting out [Fire Arrow], [Earth Bomb], and [Gale Cutter], even killing one non-pissed-off [Wyvern] in the process.

"Welp, time to fall back." I remarked as I slowly tried to get away, using Malty as my shield, the other end of the chain now clamped between my teeth, keeping her from running off. "Ome'n, les mve!"

And I make sure to keep in mind that I only have two shots left in my [Grimoire Heart], and knowing full well that reloading a gun with one hand (unless you're Revy) is a real bitch.

So, better for it to conserve my shots for now.

"Almst ther... almst ther..." I mumbled out through the chains in my mouth.

I eventually then make it to the center, where everyone else was fighting the main brunt of the invading force.

"Sup." I greeted at the fighting mob. "How's the party without me?"

I point my [Grimoire Heart] at one of the dismounted pikeman, before tossing my gun up into the air to fake him out by stabbing him with my [Sacrificial Dagger], transforming him into a [Giant Ant] as a diversionary tactic to lay off some heat from myself.

Then I toss the dagger towards another pikeman, transforming him into a [Giant Bomb Balloon], before catching my gun, aiming the barrel down towards the bloated bastard...

*CLICK*

*BANG*

... And the next five seconds, I've immediately regretted doing.

*KABOOM*

Everyone in the five-meter radius (myself included), were all sent flying into the air, killing several of the pikemen, one [Wyvern], and a few of the ex-slaves that I've taken under my fold.

Turns out shooting explosive barrels (or the medieval-fantasy equivalent of) in real-life aren't so cracked up to be.

"Hey fry-face, ya still alive?" I called out to Malty, which then I found her lying on the dirt next to a dead [Wyvern], with my [Sacrificial Dagger] embedded into her gut, albeit, nonleathally. "Cough out if it's a 'yes'."

"*Hack*" Malty coughed out a wad of blood.

"Alright then, up and at em."

I hoist up my hostage/meat shield to support by now-faltering pegleg.

After the explosion, both sides of the conflict (at least those who were the furthest away from the blast zone), resumed back to killing each other.

"Hey Spitznagel!" I called out to the level 120ish [Moleman]. "You mind filling me in on what's going on?"

"Well for one, these ain't like the small-fry mercenaries and adventurers, that's for sure!" Spitznagel bellowed out through his visored helmet. "They planned this through and through, even brought [Anti-Magic] and [Wyvern Knights] with em!"

"I CAN SEE THE LATTER!" I yelled out as he I pulled the knife out of Malty's gut before throwing at a mounted [Wyvern Knight]'s eye, transforming him into an [Orc] while's on top of said [Wyvern], causing him to burst out of his armor and clothes like an overbloated tick that drank too much blood, right before said [Orc] attracts three more [Wyverns] upon it (including the one that he was riding on), now engorging upon their former rider.

... And amidst the struggle, one of the [Wyverns] swallow my [Sacrificial Knife] via chomping off the [Orc]'s head.

"Aw sonnuvabitch..." I grumbled out in disappointment. "... Well, can't get any worse-"

Then the [Wyvern] that swallowed my demonic-looking shiv suddenly then grows three more copies of its heads adjacent to the original, right before it proceeds to go on a rampage, devouring through several other riders, mounts, and couple more of my own ex-slave infantry.

"What the hell just happened?" I remarked right before I got a memo in HUD.

**Congratulations!**

**You've discovered [Sacrificial Dagger]'s hidden mechanic, [Mutate]!**

**Where as using [Invoke] on a non-monster [Encounter], the skill transforms them into monsters. But, when using [Invoke] on a monster will instead activate [Mutate]!**

**[Mutate] causes monsters to forcibly [Evolve] by altering their own genetical coding beyond prior recognition, with a 90% chance failure rate to incompatible monsters, turning them into [Badass-] variants, causing them to become untamable as [Summons], and cannot be stopped until it dies!**

**Remember senpai, failure is the mother to a great success! Just try not to die, kay?**

**BB OUT!**

"... Ah." I exclaimed in a deadpan manner. "That explains why it's so mad."

**[Badass Wyvern]**

**Hungry 4 more.**

The now-rechirstianed [Badass Wyvern] then continues its rampage as its four heads begin spewing out jets and fumes of both venom and flames in unison into the air before trying to fly up, only to crash onto a pikeman a few seconds later, likely due to its new body being no longer aerodynamic, and the added weight of three additional heads sprouted out from its body. Also, having multiple brains sharing one body?

... Not really a recipe for swan-like coordination.

"So kid, got any ideas before that thing over there kills us all?" Spitznagel remarked as he pointed is armored nail towards the four-headed [Badass Wyvern] literally draws and quarters a [War Mage] into a four-piece bucket meal.

But as that [War Mage] died right in front of me, my head started to feel... weighty again.

My mana was slowly regaining flow, as if a dam was slowly being lifted from a river.

... Then, _lightbulb_.

"... I got one." I remarked as my face creased into an evil smile. "We use four-heads over there to our advantage. Make it do our work for us, and if possible, the rest of our work cleaning up. Think you can goad it to your will?"

"I'm way faster then I look, pal." Spitznagel remarked as he ducked under a flying upper half of a served torso of a female pikeman. "Leave sloppy joe to me."

He then tunnels rapidly into the underground, trailing towards the four-headed [Wyvern] before emerging from beneath and scratching its four faces, not enough for a clean cut, but enough to severely damage its faces.

"IT'S MAD! IT'S REALLY MAD!" Spitznagel remarked as he tunneled back underground before popping up back in front of me. "RUN FOR IT!"

As one of its heads poked into the hole, the rest of the body running after us, pulling out the single head as it began its sprint, ramming through numerous pikemen and my own infantry out of the way.

I hop onto Spitznagel's back as he took off, taking a page from Red Steel 2, I use Malty as lure for the hungry hungry [Badass Wyvern] chasing after us, dragging her beaten and bruised body across the dirt and gravel.

"WHERE DO WE RUN, KID!?" Spitznagel asked as he continued to ran with his surprisingly fast, but stubby feet.

"INTO THE WOODS!" I cried out. "BELAY ALL ORDERS OF DIRECT COMBAT! HIT AND RUN! ENGAGE HIT AND RUN!"

"HIT AND RUN, KIDDOS!" Spitznagel bellowed out. "INTO THE WOODS!"

As everyone else received the message, we all evacuated into the woods, with the pikemen and a single remaining [Wyvern Knight] behind us.

"DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY!" I heard the sole [Wyvern Knight] bellow out. "CORNER EM AND GUT EM!"

"YOU HEARD THE MAN!" I bellowed out, using his own command against him. "CORNER AND GUT EM WHERE THEY STAND! CHARGE!"

Then upon my orders, the runners retreating reformulate into an improv-ambush, using the uneven terrain and the cramped narrow spaces to our advantage, taking the pikemen by surprise as their [Tridents] snagging from the foliage as my party just simply barreled through them.

... You know, I think those cleanup missions of taking out infiltrating adventurers and mercenaries helped out as improv-training sessions. How? Well, traversing throughout Kaido's shell for the past week helped my party familiarize themselves with the whole location, meaning that when it comes to fighting in a forest like environment, we held the home field advantage.

Case in point, Garou was taking out hidden [Snipers] and [War Mages] in the branches, even using one [Sniper] as a pincushion for any loose bolts coming his way, Fubuki was now making good use of her close combat with her [Gauntlets] that her [Monk] class offers, Fohl was now making good use of his CQC that Garou taught him, Rino, Rio, and Wyndia can only be described as apex predators in this cramped environment, with special mention going to the [Garmr] using a pikeman's own entrails for his own noose, and Rio covering Rino's back as the two of them cut their way out.

"Wait a minute..." I remarked as I tried to survey the situation, keeping headcount for my own party members as we ran while we kept the [Badass Wyvern] busy. "... Where's Suzaku and Seiryu-"

"[Godspeed Strike]."

In a hair-spilt of a second, I faintly saw Suzaku in a blur before everything around him were flung up into the air in a sudden burst of turbulence.

"... Holy hell, was that Suzaku!?" I remarked right before I heard screaming from behind us, and seeing that our little hostage was now having her heels nicked by all four, snapping heads of the [Badass Wyvern]. "OH SHIT! OH SHIT! HE'S COMING RIGHT FOR US!"

"CAN'T GO ANY FASTER THAN THIS, KIDDO!" Spitznagel barked out. "I GOTTA GO UNDERGROUND IF WE WANT TO GO ANY FASTER!"

But between us two, Malty, and the four snapping maws of the [Badass Wyvern], a horned silhouette dropped between us, its forearms glowing in golden tribal-looking tattoos.

"... Wait." I asked to myself. "... Seiryu!?"

"[Godhand Impact]!"

She strikes the earth with her [Rune Slayer] in its [Mace] form, erupting a titanic geyser of flung-up gravel and stone, sending the semi-grounded [Badass Wyvern] into the air...

... Careening right towards the sole, remaining [Wyvern Knight] present.

"WHAT THE FUCK-"

*CRASH*

Both [Wyverns] plummet to the forest grounds, breaking through several branches with numerous [War Mages] and [Snipers] on them, forcing them to abort their positions, dropping themselves onto grounds right next to Garou, Fubuki, and Fohl.

... The next five seconds, all that was remaining was a massive shower of blood.

"Holy hell..." I remarked as we walked into the blood-soaked and corpse-littered clearing of the forest. "... And I thought that they smelled bad on the outside."

"Nah, that's just us." Spitznagel remarked. "... When was the last time we even bathed?"

I smell my right forearm before gagging at the rancid smell.

"... Home cannot come any sooner-"

*SWHIP*

*TWACK*

... A crossbow bolt nails onto my chest as I fell onto my back.

"KID!" I heard Spitznagel.

I lift my head and look ahead of me, spotting a half-dead [Sniper] with a shit-eating grin.

... But weirdly, I don't as faint as I should.

So upon curiosity, I pull out the bolt nailed onto my chest...

*POP*

... And on the business end, my [Portable Dragon's Hourglass] was staked through, but destroyed and rendered non-functional.

"... Spitznagel, I have two favors to ask." I stated to the Mole Knight-expy. "First, can I call you Spitz for convenience's sake? Just a small favor."

"Uh... yeah, sure." The [Moleman] remarked. "What's the other favor then?"

I then spot the half-dead [Sniper], trying to crawl away from my sight after realizing that his little sneak attack failed.

"Spitz, can you drag that sunnovabitch closer toward me?" I asked in a monotone voice with a shit-eating grin. "Right next to me, if possible."

"Yeah, sure."

He then walks towards the crawling [Sniper], catches him by his ankle, and drags him back to me.

I then mount on top of the terrified [Sniper], pull out my [Grimoire Heart], flip my grip to the barrel, and proceed to hammer his face in with my gun's butt, putting him from near-death, to simply put...

*WHACK* *WHACK* *WHACK* *WHACK* *WHACK*

*SPLRT* *SPLRT* *SPLRT*

*SCRUNCH*

... To simply _dead_. Good ol' fashioned dead as a doornail. Or as dead as his gray matter spilling out of his now-ruptured skullcap.

Yeah, he's dead.

"You know..." I heaved out. "... I think I might be growing a little too attached to [Grimoire Heart]. I mean, I got blue-balled by [Anti-Magic], and yet, it didn't stop me from slinging spells. ... Or shootin' em."

"Might as nail that into your hand, if that's the case." Spitznagel pointed out.

"... Nah. Need a good hand for somethin'." I retorted. "That and well, I kinda lost too many."

"Huh, so that explains why your arm is gone." Spitz remarked.

"You don't seem that perturbed." I pointed out.

"When you're a mercenary as long as I've been, dismemberment is the least disgusting part of your career." Spitz remarked. "One time-"

"Okay, stop right there." I protested. "... Tell me more later. Right now, we got bigger shit to worry about. The [Anti-Magic] specialists, remember?"

"Ah, right." Spitz remarked. "... Where are they, anyway-"

I then hear thrush and branches snap and tear right before a slight gust of wind blows across us, with the comical image of a single [Wyvern Knight] flying away into the night sky...

... With roughly a half a dozen [War Mages] clinging/carpooling onto the [Wyvern]'s talons and tail.

"Found em." Spitznagel remarked. "You wanna finish em off?"

I open my gun's revolving chamber and find only one shot left in it...

"THAT BASTARD ISN'T EVEN HUMAN!" I heard the [Wyvern Knight] cry out right before he flew off with the remaining [War Mages] from a distance. "THE CAPTAIN CAN KISS MY ASS! I'M NOT DEALING WITH THESE DEMONS ANYMORE!"

... Using the moonlight as my illumination, I twirl my magical .357 Magnum in my hand, aim down the barrel towards the fleeing [Wyvern Knight] as the owl in the sky lets off a echoing hoot, and fire.

*BANG*

... And out came [Magma Bomb], splashing its red-hot molten slab of minerals onto the rider, the mount, and its desperate passengers, causing all of them to meld together into a ball of seared and melted flesh and bone as they all plummet to their collective, grisly deaths.

"Boo-ya-ka-sha." I yelped under my breath. "Flawless, victory."

"Says the person with one arm." Malty remarked with a muffled voice from her road-burnt face.

"Let me have this, _choco-malt_." I sighed out. "Come on, we need to find the others."

12, fucking, [Wyvern Knights]. All of them, averaging level 80, with one of them running off with my arm and dagger.

I then find the [Badass Wyvern], currently being eaten out by Wyndia, to meet her whole 10k-calorie quota that her [Garmr] physiology demands, with Rio and Rino just watching her eat the mutated [Wyvern] in silent awe.

"... So, how's the all girls night goin'?" I asked sheepishly.

"Holy hell, what happened to you?" Rio asked.

"You're not disturbed by the fact that I had my artificial arm ripped off by a pissed-off [Wyvern]?" I pointed out.

"I should be more terrified on the regard of how much blood that you're losing, but after the whole Vlad Tepes Dracula shit that occurred a few hours back, I've been now completely desensitized to gore and mutilation." Rio deadpanned. "Also, why piss off a [Wyvern], of all things?"

"Let's just say that it was either lose that or my throat." I replied. "And before you ask why I'm still standing while profusely bleeding, might be adrenaline rush from all the abstaining usage of magic that the whole [Anti-Magic] has been doing me a number on my brain. Speaking of which, where is the rest of the [War Mages]?"

"I think I saw Garou drag one away after killing about eight others in front of him." Rino pointed back towards base camp. "Also, the [Homunculi] were keeping all non-combatants in a safe house."

"Thanks for the heads-up." I remarked. "But first, Wyndia?"

The [Garmr Demihuman] turns her head towards me, a single slab of reptile meat hanging from her mouth before she slurps it into her mouth and swallowing it.

"... I need to fish out something from your midnight snack's gut." I requested. "Think you can cut its stomach open?"

She then rakes her claws through the [Badass Wyvern]'s scales, spilling out serveral liters of digestive juices and my [Sacrificial Dagger], now half-melted to a semi-recognizable slag of a weapon.

"Aw dammit." I whined in disappointment as I sheathed my now-useless shiv into its sheath. "Be sure to finish that quickly, kay? Need to rally up the party later."

"Almost done here." Wyndia mumbled out as she ate her [Badass Wyvern].

We then walked through the woods, I met Suzaku, Seiryu, and Genbu in a road littered with dead bodies of friend and foe alike, looting both for anything useful, with Genbu carving out drawings of dicks on their cheeks with his now-broken [Silver Shortsword].

"Dude, seriously?" I remarked towards Genbu's antics. "This is the high school bathrooms all over again..."

**"Oh come on, boyo. Gotta enjoy the small stuff."** Genbu rebuked. **"And besides, it's not like anyone's gonna need it later on."**

"Well, out of consideration for everyone else, I rather not have their meals be reminiscent of bathroom walls that smells like burnt-out weed and used condoms." I rebuked. "Please, cut that shit out. Some of us happen to eat those."

Genbu moves away with a scoff before he swigged on his flask.

"As for you two..." I remarked towards Seiryu and Suzaku. "... When in the actual hell did you learn how to do that?"

"Oh, you mean [Godspeed Strike]?" Suzaku answered. "Rubicante and Aabidah taught me how to do that skill! Now I can help out the family even better than last time!"

I blink for a moment at the realization of Suzaku technically going behind my back, but out of respect for his valor and commitment...

"... You did great." I stated as I ruffled his crimson-hair. "Just be sure to let the others know, kay?"

"Don't worry, they already knew." Suzaku remarked. "Speaking of skills, where did you learn that skill? You know, where your physical blows got even more powerful for a brief moment?"

"Oh, Gaelion taught me that." Seiryu remarked. "After seeing you working hard for not only for our sake, but also, for mine, I knew I couldn't just sit back and let you do all the heavy lifting, so I decided to put in some work myself. Gaelion taught me [Godhand Impact], a skill that he'd learned a few centuries back from a former [Gauntlet Hero] that he fought back then, and he passed it onto me, and I'm thinking of passing to that Hakuko kid."

... So while I was completely out of it, mulling in my depression, they were growing stronger without me, all for the family's sake.

God, I'm such a dick... Then again, I've never been that attentive to other people's personal affairs, both here, and back home.

"... Well, get back with the others at base camp." I ordered. "We need to reassess the situation before they come back with something bigger."

The three of them make their way to the center, with me, Spitz, and Malty trudging behind the three.

"... Is it just me, or did tonight just suck balls?" I asked out.

"To be fair, kid. You kinda rely on your monsters a bit too much." Spitznagel remarked. "The only reason why you survived is probably had to do with the fact that you're good at fighting dirty, using your own enemy's strengths against them, like with that [Wyvern] back there, pissing it off to make it not only get off of ya, but also to bring the hurt to those buggers back there. You're as cutthroat as they come, kiddo, kinda remind me of a proper mercenary."

"Oh please, anyone with an IQ above 100 can figure that shit out." I remarked. "... By the way, my IQ is 128, and I pretty much blazed through academics at the cost of me having a social aptitude of a drunken ant."

"I can see that." Malty snarked out. "No wonder why these freaks are attracted to you. Your whole party is that of a literal circus."

"Says the literal freak show." I replied, cutting my words into her.

All three of us remain silent as we make our way to the base camp.

"... Man, you guys really hate each other, doncha?" Spitznagel pointed out.

"She's my personal torture doll at this point." I remarked. "I'm the only one who will love for what she truly is; a legitimately disgusting sin of all creation packaged into one, incorrigible sow of a woman."

"... Oh just fuck already, ya two sadomasochists." Spitznagel remarked before he went ahead.

"LATER!" I yelled back before turning to Malty, who now has a look of horror on her face. "... I need to get in the mood first, you know. The whole carnage back there only got me up half-mast."

"You're unbelievable." Malty grumbled out.

"I aim to displease. Now move it, princess."

We then make it to the clearing, where I find the captured [War Mage] hogtied up to a tree branch, with literally everyone else surrounding him.

"Yo!" I remarked. "... You guys checked for anything on him?"

"Just a few [Advanced Mana Potions], a [Sensory Awareness Powder], and his weapons and armor." Byakko remarked.

"No I mean something like this."

I then slash his cheek open with my [Bandit's Silver Thumb] and cram my hand into his mouth from the back of his molars, catching something and throwing it out of his jugular.

On the ground was a red and blue colored pill-like object.

"The hell is that?" Garou asked.

"Poison, most likely to avoid being interrogated." I pointed out. "So, now that Mr. [War Mage] just failed to play his last card..."

I then grab him up by his hair to get him my attention.

"... We'll begin with the interrogations." I remarked. "First, I assume that attack we just had was merely the vanguard, correct?"

He then spits on my face, a mix of drool and blood.

"... How droll." I remarked. "I'll take that as a yes. But first, anyone getting nails? Or anything that's sharp, pointy, non-lethal, and disposable?"

"On it."

Byakko then runs off towards one of the wrecked huts around the camp, pulling out old nails from the wreckage before coming back to me with a handful of them.

"Ah, these will do." I remarked. "So, onto the second question, you and your possy were the ones behind the little stunt that caused my [Summons] to pull a disappearing act, correct?"

He says nothing.

"Welp, no time like the present!" I remarked in a chipper tone. "Byakko!"

"Yes, master?"

"Nail."

He then snatches one nail, and flicks that sucker into the [War Mage]'s foot, causing him to let out a pained shriek.

"Did you know that there was such thing as the man called 'The Butcher' in a certain war-torn region?" I remarked. "Apparently, the military took some ideas from that guy when they were interrogating his own men. Now with that out of the way, here's the million-dollar question, how do you work [Anti-Magic]?"

"I AIN'T TELLING YOU SHIT!"

"Nail."

Another rusty nail stakes into his other foot.

"The [Anti-Magic]?" I asked. "How do you do it?"

"GO TO HELL!"

"Already there, pal." I remarked. "Nail."

This time, the nail goes into his knee.

"God this is getting pitiful, dude." I remarked in disappointment. "So, if you don't want to say anything, feel free."

I then give a look towards Malty, watching from behind me in sheer horror.

"... I'm only at half-mast, pal." I stated back to the blubbering [War Mage]. "I, need, this. Because as far as I'm concerned, we've already progressed from interrogation to torture. So if you're not going to use that thing between your ears, I'll simply ask again: how do you use, [Anti-Magic]?"

"Keep doin' it all you want, ya bastard..." The [War Mage] stated. "... I ain't afraid to die from the likes of you."

"Cute." I scoffed. "Nail."

Byakko nails him in through his toe, causing a spasm of agony throughout his body.

"Kid." I heard L'Arc from behind. "I don't think he knows shit. You should probably stop-"

"Or what!?" I retorted. "... Look, I've been rudely woken up before 6 in the morning, and as far as I'm concerned, he at least knows something, so the least he can do, is well... actually, you know what, I got nothing."

I flick my switchblade from my [Bandit's Silver Thumb], and cut him down.

"So... a more, humane approach will be settled-Byakko, what's that thing glowing in your clothes?" I stated.

"Oh, this?" The butler remarked as he took out the [Sibylline], now all chewed up like a dog toy. "I recovered your severed arm from that [Wyvern] you've enraged, sir. With some time, we should be able to repair it-"

Then my glowing [Sibylline] starts beeping as it was now glowing on and off.

"... Byakko. Get rid of that arm." I ordered.

"Wait, why-"

"THAT SHIT'S GONNA BLOW! EVERYONE, GET BACK!"

We all scrambled away from it as Byakko wound his arm back as far as he could, vein-like red lines glowing through his clothes from his muscles, and in a single swing of his arm, throws the glowing arm into the night sky, leaving behind a sonic boom as the arm simply flew away like a rocket.

"... Welp, that's one issue down-"

*BOOM*

Further away, I saw my left arm explode, but not in the fiery way.

... But rather, in what can only be described as a "blood-colored and space-distorting" way.

"... What the shit?" L'Arc remarked. "IS THAT A [WAVE]!?"

Then suddenly, the skies began to rain _lukewarm_ blood from a distance, the air tasting like raw, liquid iron.

"... I think that's no ordinary [Wave]." I bemoaned.

**Switching POV: Faubley's Captain of the [Wyvern Knights], 1st ****Division**

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THE VANGUARD WAS COMPLETELY ANNIHILATED!?" The captain barked out in an enraged manner.

"We haven't heard from them for the past half-hour, sir." The [Wyvern Knight] remarked. "Not a single one has returned, and we've just recovered one of the corpses about 2 miles away from our position, sir, but we're unable to identify them."

"DAMMIT!" The captain slammed his fist onto the table. "PROCEED TO PHASE TWO! THROW EVERYTHING WE'VE GOT AT THEM! IT'S EITHER THEM OR US, YOU HEAR ME!?"

"SIR, YES SIR!"

"THEN MOVE OUT, DOUBLE TIME!"

All of the [Wyvern Knights], [War Mages], [Snipers], two elderly level 115 [Necromancers] began to move out towards the Demon King's position, mounting their [Wyverns] and beginning to take flight towards the mobile [Adamantortoise].

"LET'S GO!" The captain barked out. "TO BATTLE-"

Something then hits his head lands on top of his lap.

"... What the... an arm?" The captain remarked as he looked at the metal arm with a broken chain and pages around its forearm, glowing and beeping menacingly.

The arm then floats up into the air, runs its fingers through the air, rending through reality, and opening a spatial chasm akin to a [Wave].

"EVERYONE, BELAY PRIOR ORDERS!" The captain cried out. "WE'RE IN A MIDDLE OF A FORMING [WAVE]! EVACUATE-"

From the other side of gap, _something_ else stared back.

Upon simply gazing at the eye searing and smoldering with nothing but raw _hatred_, a pair of blood-red and bulging arms of muscle and brimstone burst out of the breach, forcibly widening the gap with its bare, blood-soaked, hands.

... No, they weren't simply hands.

They were instruments of pure _murder_.

As the breach widened, the monster from the other side fully revealed itself to the world of the living.

Reeking of blood and fire, armor adorned with shattered skulls and scrap metal, around its waist were a pair of hand axes-no. The blades were too serrated, too inhumane, and too macabre to be considered mere hand axes.

... Around this demon's waists were simply _Slaughter_ and _Carnage_ itself taken physical form.

As it continued to breach through the gap, its tattered and shredded wings jutted out through its back, and its face, now fully illuminated by the moonlight, a demonic, horned, blood-red face permanently contorted and twisted in rage, fangs and teeth more akin to a row of blades and silver stakes, its eyes were like the sun, only burning and scorching in sheer, unrelenting ire, and its voice, oh god almighty, its voice wasn't even close to discernible speech, rather, they were a cacophony of roars and cries of the _damned_.

... It wasn't simply a monster from a [Wave]. It was a physical embodiment of _hate _itself.

And from this... _thing_, catching its attention, the following words were the last thing he heard before everything went simply black and _upside-down_.

**"SKARBRAND HATES AIR TRAFFIC!"**

... Suddenly, he missed the endless caws of human-sized crows back home.

**Switching POV: Back to 1st Person**

... A bellow of pure hate echoed throughout the land, bringing forth war and slaughter anew.

We all simply watched, as the Exiled Daemon of Khorne itself entered the stage, turning the main force and rearguard into ruby-red puree of blood, bone, and guts in an instant.

It's roars and screams of hate only said "Hate. Hate. HATE".

Hate. That's what the Chaos Daemon beneath us was.

That's what Skarbrand was. He is simply pure hatred. He is Khorne's hatred itself, now rampaging throughout this now-damned world.

"... So, let me get this straight." I whimpered out. "... My... left arm... happens to contain... a spatial singularity... and evidently... whoever made that arm... happened to be worshipping Khorne... the Blood God."

In hindsight, the fact that my [Tome]/[Gauntlet] hybrid weapon was able to punch through marble like tissue paper now kinda made sense now.

"... So, Mr. [War Mage]." I asked while on the verge of losing my nerves. "The [Anti-Magic]?"

The [War Mage] nods in terrified agreement, which then he shows me a specific rune circle coming from his hand.

"Well, that changes things." I stated as I used [Analyze] on that circle.

**"[Anti-Magic] Skill learned."** My HUD announced.

"Awesome." I remarked. "Now, normally, I would [Summon] back the rest of my family and try and fight that thing... but a few problems, most of them regarding that guy over there."

"... Okay, what is it?" L'Arc asked in a frustrated tone.

"One, that's a Khorne Daemon over there." I remarked. "That sunnovabitch HATES magic, all of its passives revolve around canceling all forms of magic, except buffs. We're lucky that guy is ignoring us even though Kaido is a [Summon], but I rather not take my chances of testing his nonexistent patience."

I then raise another finger.

"Two." I stated. "I tried to take a read on the guy's stats... only to find out that he doesn't have any."

"Wait, WHAT!?" L'Arc barked out. "ARE YOU SAYING THAT YOU'VE BROUGHT FORTH AN UNSTOPPABLE ABOMINATION TO THIS WORLD!?"

"Now now, hear me out." I remarked. "He's only registered as a non-monster, not invincible. Ergo, I have a theory."

I then look out towards the Daemon heading towards Siltvelt.

"Skarbrand may be alive and yes, he is a living being..." I stated. "But according to the rules of this world, he's _not_. He's an object, a crafting material, a projection, a copy. So, with that in mind, here's a pop quiz: what do the [Legendary Weapons] do when they come into contact with a mundane object, such as a herb or an ore?"

The [Heroes] present begin to mull over it until they get the hint.

"... They get absorbed, transforming into a unique weapon." L'Arc answered. "Don't tell me-"

"Consider that a test for my dear friend heading to Silvelt." I grinned. "... Assuming if Skarbrand over there doesn't get too tunnel-visioned over destroying the surrounding environment."

**"SKARBRAND HATES POLLEN SEASON!"**

Then his signature [Bellow of Endless Fury] sets the entire forest right in front of himself on fire.

"... That or if Mr. Iwatani survives the encounter to begin with, but I assure you, he's been through worse." I assured. "For his sake, I hope Mr. Iwatani figures out the whole 'Immortal Object' loophole very soon, otherwise, I might have to claim responsibility for causing this mess in the first place. Oh, and his next of kin."

"How are you that confident that he'll survive this fallout?" L'Arc asked with a look of concern for my mental health.

I simply smile before answering.

"... I made sure of it, L'Arc." I answered with the utmost confident. "For what good is a shield that breaks? To combat that, a shield can only get stronger through substantial abuse. Previously, this bitch tried to ruin him, paint him as a monster. But what she didn't realize were the things waiting beyond her so-called throne..."

I drag Malty by her hair and closer to my face.

"... Melromarc, ain't shit to what lies beyond the void of spacetime, girly." I stated menacingly in a faux-Southern drawl that I got from Blondie and Angel Eyes from _The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly_. "For someone with dreams of grandeur and worship, your dream was too small, little girl. I dream a bit bigger than an entire kingdom built to my name. My dream? Basically watch as your hopes and dreams burn to the ground, and let ya wander around the ashen wastes, to see if that does any good to ya head up there, just sayin'."

I then let her go, dropping her to the dirt.

"One last question..." L'Arc asked. "... How the hell do you even recognize him in the first place?"

"There was a board game I used to play, and let's just say that Skarbrand was one of the most biggest pieces available." I stated, remembering my short time playing 40k as the World Eaters. "Word of advice, steer clear from him unless you want to lose whatever empathy and rationale you have left. His mere presence literally screams for war and drives even the most suicidally-pacifistic sheep among men to outright _murder_."

"Kinda like what's happening to us right now?" Rio deadpanned.

"Hilarious." I deadpanned back. "But, silver lining, at least the raid is over. So... uh, give all the [Advanced Mana Potions] to Glass. I think she's a bit on the fritz, just sayin'."

"Oh dear." Theresa sighed out as she hastily took all the [Advanced Mana Potions] she can in her hands, being careful not to drop any of them.

The rest of us continued to stare at the carnage unfolding before us as Chaos Daemon continues its rampage towards Siltvelt.

"... Mr. Neutron Star was right." I commented out of nowhere. "When you become strong, you forget what if feels like to be weak."

"Who are you talkin' about, kiddo?" L'Arc pointed out.

"Eh, just some blockhead who couldn't notice that roughly half a dozen women wants to ride what's in his pants." I remarked. "Now if you excuse me... I need to pass out from excess blood loss and loss of adrenaline-"

*THUD*

... And back to pitch black, my sole sanctuary in this mad world.

**"[Infernal Gate] (地獄の門) Skill learned."**

... I'm playing with fire, am I? And why did it take me so long to realize that?

This is what going insane feels like, huh?

**Switching POV: Naofumi**

*THUD*

Naofumi stirs himself awake, all groggy and aching all over after yesterday's assault on Reinchott's village, gradually opening his eyes.

"Filo... Raphtalia..." Naofumi moaned out as he slowly opened his eyes, only to find them nowhere near him.

Immediately, he snaps awake trying to move only to find himself blocked behind bars, and nowhere near the girls.

"FILO! RAPHTALIA!" Naofumi screeched out as he banged against bars of his cage. "LET ME OUT DAMMIT-"

*CLANG*

On one of the bars, a black sledgehammer banged against it, causing him to reel back.

"WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP!?" A gruff, almost butch female voice barked out. "JUST SHUT YOUR DAMN TRAP UNTIL WE GET HOME!"

The voice came from a female with a lion's mane and tail, wearing a sleeveless white shirt and blue jean short-shorts, with her shoulders draped with a black coat with a puffy fur lining around the collar, and in her hands was a one-handed warsledge, a barbed handle guard at the bottom end of its extended shaft, and a hammerhead fashioned with barbed wire wrapped around the squared end.

"Sigrun!" Another female voice chided, coming from a short girl with pointed ears akin to a rabbit's but coming from behind her dark-gray hoodie and ultramarine-colored skirt was a long thin tail with a brush at its end, like that of a donkey's. "I know he's human and all, but he's the [Shield Hero]! Also, we're under orders not to harm him!"

"Tch." The lion-girl named Sigrun scoffed as she walked away with a grimace.

After Sigrun makes herself scarce, the donkey-tailed girl clears her throat before speaking to him.

"I do apologize, Sir [Shield Hero]." The girl apologized. "Sigrun had a... bad history with humans, which sadly, isn't uncommon among my peers..."

"Yeah, whatever." Naofumi brushed her off. "Where the hell am I and where are Filo and Raphtalia?"

"Well... first of all, we're under orders from out client to transport you three to Siltvelt in an orderly manner..." The sighed out. "As a safety measure, we've been ordered to keep you separate until we reach Siltvelt-"

Another clanging sound was heard from a distance, most likely coming from Sigrun's temper getting the better of her again.

"... Provided if we can all cooperate." The girl sighed out. "... If you wish to call be by anything, it's Amiya, Sir [Shield Hero]. Now if you excuse me, I have to go check on the damages..."

Amiya then runs off to another carriage in front of Naofumi's.

"... Great." Naofumi groaned out. "I'm penned and shipped like a circus animal elsewhere. Worst of all, we're separated."

He plops onto the floor of his cage, now worried sick for his party and the rest of the villagers with Melty and Reinchott.

"I assure you, Mr. [Shield Hero], they're alright." A gruff male voice spoke out towards Naofumi.

Next to him, a large and muscular man with a pair of bull horns and cow ears, with one with a single gold hoop earring, sprouting out of his mullet, wearing a black leather jacket with black jeans with kneepads and steel-riveted combat boots. In his hands were a massive black-colored tower shield with several scratches and dents signifying its wear and tear, and in his left hand was a massive [Kukri], it's matte-black blade gleaming from the morning sunlight menacingly, as if that thing can cut through diamonds.

"Who the hell are you?" Naofumi asked. "You with that girl, Amiya?"

"We're in the same Volunteer Division for this mass expedition force." The bull-horned man stated. "I am Alps, a level 99 [Gladiator]. I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Iwatani."

"Okay, first of all, how the hell do you know my name?" Naofumi asked. "People usually just call me something related to my title, like Shield Devil or Sir [Shield Hero]."

"Our client has been extremely well-informed of you and your party down to their names." Alps stated. "Also, do forgive me for being extremely pretentious. My days as a guild-associated adventurer required me to practice formalities when dealing with other people, from clients to targets, none are exempt from manners."

"Yeah, explains the cage." Naofumi grumbled.

"That was the request of our client, citing it as safety measures." Alps remarked. "I apologize if this causes any discomfort, but orders are orders. Our client even sent his own men to keep an eye on everyone, including us."

He then points to an extremely tall and large woman with a single curved horn coming out between her pseudo-fish eyes and long, forest-green bangs that trailed behind her lower back, wearing dull-gray steel armor with a hanya mask engraved into the plate armor, wearing white baggy pants with a tiger pelt wrapped around her waist, but no shoes to cover her sharp-toed feet that which left visible footprints that cracked the earth beneath. And strapped around her forearm was essentially a massive plate of sharpened iron, shaped like an equilateral triangle, with numerous elaborate images of dragons and phoenixes all surrounded by vines of briar and thorn engraved onto its face.

"Hou Gui over there is one of our cilent's most trusted enforcers." Alps stated. "A level 105 [Highlander], and while she only looks languid, but be warned, she an [Oni], and they don't take anyone prisoner. She's reasonable enough on a normal day, but breaking orders from her boss will result in that person being ground to mulch. We already lost two of our new recruits to her [Warpath Thorn], simply because their hatred for humans and human-sympathizing demihumans got the better of them, and she's the one keeping everyone in line, at least, for the more... political of our peers."

"You don't say." Naofumi deadpanned.

Naofumi lets out a sigh that there's someone keeping the villagers and the two nobles safe, albeit, the one keeping watch happens to be a 245cm-tall [Oni] woman.

"Wait, what about that girl, Sigrun?" Naofumi asked.

"You mean the level 107 [Berserker]?" Alps pointed out. "Don't worry, she's like that to everyone, but even she wouldn't kill unless ordered to."

"So she's one of those people?" Naofumi remarked.

"She can hold her own, and easily one of our strongest." Alps stated. "Now, if you excuse me, I must tell that tanuki-girl Raphtalia, that you're well. Poor girl woke up screaming... I've seen them in my work before. She's a slave, isn't she?"

Naofumi nods regrettably.

"I don't judge you." Alps remarked. "Humans in Melromarc treat the [Shield Hero], regardless of race, as lesser. Being driven towards that point is not surprising."

The bull-horned man then walks away from him. leaving behind the [Shield Fallen] in his cage.

"... They're way more civil then I thought, even though they know I'm a demihuman-owning slave owner."

Between the bars, a sack was tossed into his cage.

Naofumi opens it, finding a loaf of bread, some apples, and small goatskin sack of water.

"Breakfast." A dog-eared man with Chinese-looking armor set with a [Guandao] over his shoulder stated. "Lunch is at 1. Don't waste any of it."

**Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person**

... No crazy-ass dreams this time. Only the wooden ceiling and sawdust covering my face.

I try to get up, but it's been harder to get up with each passing day, as if my body was wasting away.

You know, dying doesn't feel too bad at this point. But dying right now? With all those people still running about, causing suffering to each other rather than coming together against a common threat?

... Clearly, I haven't been trying hard enough to prove that Rousseau was right. I was begging and hoping that people would actually be decent at heart, but evidently, the only thing "decent" about them is how _braindead_ they can be.

I'm a firm subscriber to Hobbes, but even then, the level of pure idiocy and cold-bloodedness is a bit much, even for me, who's already killed thousands without batting an eye.

"... God, I'm such an asshole." I groaned out as I looked down, my right leg stripped of its meat castings, the pegleg itself, now snapped on the verge of breaking. "... How long was I out?"

**"About a week, kid."**

"ARGH!" I yelped out, only to turn my head towards Grimm. "... Oh hey. ... How was [Anti-Magic] shutting you down?"

**"I saw the whole shit unfold right before my eyes, along with everyone else."** Grimm stated.** "... ****Seriously dude, you alright?"**

"Honestly..." I sighed out. "... Not really."

I wobble towards the rocking chair, my pegleg now without a wider surface area, ending with me flopping onto my chair onto my face.

*SNAP*

My pegleg snaps in two, causing me to fall onto the floor. Undeterred, however, I scramble up to my seat, with only four working fingers remaining, onto my back, now stiff and stoney as a coffin lid.

"... What have I done with myself?" I groaned out. "... I mean, I don't like people, and hell, if I can, and did, kill them for their collective imbecile natures, but then what? What do I do other that fix every problem just by getting rid of them to make sure that they never show up ever again? What happens if all the problems in the world, not how, but when, just... vanish?"

I then look up at the ceiling above, with the morning haze settling into my face.

"... Back in my world, for as long as history remembered, civilization rose and fell in the passage of time, which, I understood, as they were just getting started, so mistakes were to be made. After all, it was their first time trying, so I can't fault them for that." I stated.

**"... I get a feeling that there's another side to that." **Grimm remarked.

"I can forgive mistakes... as long they learn from it." I gritted out. "What I can fault them for, are their collective refusal to learn from them! As time continues to tick by, more mistakes are repeated, people still can't help but ruin each other on a daily basis. Their lack of consistency, their so-called free will doing nothing but destroy and hesitate, no longer optimizing for maximum survival, all of their so-called innovations, designed to kill first and the rest as an afterthought! ... I believe that problems merely exist to be fixed and learned from. That's how I lived my life ever since I was born. I came to see the world not one gigantic math equation, but as a series of problems, each one more complicated as the previous one, and understood that everything had a beginning and an end. Consistency, that's what I came to believe. Wake up, brush your teeth, eat, go to school, pay attention to the lessons, return home, do homework, take a break, and sleep. Rinse, and repeat, like clockwork. As long as I wasn't bothered or impeded, I did not deviate, in return out of respect of everyone else's convenience."

My grip tightened around the chair's armrest.

"... Then, for the first time in my life, my schedule was interrupted, by police." I snarled out. "Evidently, someone ratted me out on being a threat to school safety on an account of me being a potential shooter, on Twitter, no less, which, by the way, I did not participate in that malarkey that solely promotes discord and conflict, and upon that revelation, I learned an important lesson as I was taken away."

My heart starts rapidly beating, accelerating at the thought of police sirens and the cold, sharp cuff binding my wrists.

"... I learned that order was simply a facade." I stated. "The concept of order was merely a facade to keep people content, to instill a false sense of security, to keep ourselves ignorant to others's malice and stupidity, away from the truth that respect died a long time ago. 'Convenience', was merely an excuse to do what we please, and that my respect for other people's time and place, was for NOTHING!"

Even with my languid state fogging my mind, I somehow snapped the armrest into splinters with just my four fingers.

"... Now, I come here, reminded of the horrible revelation that I've witnessed." I stated. "If they simply exist to ruin under the pretense of order, then what's the fucking point of being civil to these INGRATES, ANY LONGER!? ... *sigh* I'm perfectly aware that I'm no better than the next guy, but if that's the case, so be it. If burning down this whole damn rock isn't going to make this world any more honest, then I'll go knowing that I at least tried, and it was for nothing. My legacy, the end of all pretenses and lies that solely exist to cater and pen humanity against each other. The square root of two... is the ultimate truth."

I then put my head down after venting.

"... My species has learned nothing for the past generations, and I am the end result." I bemoaned. "... A baptism by fire is what they sorely need. I might be hypocritical for enjoying every last moment of the ensuing fallout, but come on man, I need this. Can I have something good for once, after all the things I've spent and sacrificed?"

**"That just makes you sound like an entitled brat." **Grimm pointed out. **"Not all things are meant to conclude or be paid in full. Sometimes, it's best to let it run its course and do nothing, at least that way... people can stop being hurt all the time."**

"That's the problem." I rebuked. "You take away one excuse for people to hurt each other, they're simply going to start searching for another. I didn't make them go insane, but rather, they simply clung to me as a reason why they've gone insane, rather than admitting that they're savages at heart, and that their whole legacy of innovation and culture were merely hobbies in comparison. The only thing lives are loyal to are survival, but the concept of survival has been deeply integrated into a top down system, penning everyone like animals, institutionalizing the idea of status quo, formulating excuses to control the masses."

I then look the [Forbidden Tome] in the eye.

"Half-measures only prolong the pain and madness known as 'humanity', Grimm." I stated. "Someone's gotta try and end it. Might as well be me."

The door then opens, revealing Byakko.

"MAster, I have good news and bad news." Byakko stated.

"Shoot."

"Good news, we've reached home after your week-long coma." The butler stated. "But the bad news... I think you should see it for yourself."

"Is the forest burnt down?" I asked.

"No, the exact _opposite_."

He then hoists me up onto his back and carries me and Grimm out of the door.

Upon heading outside upon Byakko's back, I literally find myself surrounded by trees tall as _mountains_, while standing on top of Kaido's shell, and the latter happens to be a mobile mountain.

"... Huh, the air's cleaner, at least." I remarked.

"I concur." Byakko remarked. "Although the weald here is rather... suffocating."

Yeah, he wasn't kidding, Kaido's sheer size can't even topple through these whole row of Empire State Building-sized trees.

"Well..." I sighed out. "Anyway, might as well find a way around-"

"BIG BRO!"

I then turn to find Garou, Fubuki, Rio, Rino, Seiryu, and Suzaku, all running and panting in the utmost urgency.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" Rio screeched out.

"Again!?" I groaned out. "More [Wyverns]-"

Then, I hear a roar. Then, another.

Then, a _choir_ of bellowing, earthshaking, roars.

"Oh... fuck."

Then, from the forest on Kaido's shell, the trees looking like mere _toothpicks_ to the ones around us, emerged a golem-like creature, titanic, humanoid, wielding a crude stone club, a pair of topaz-colored pinpricks for eyes, and its body held together with root and tree branches alike, forming a pseudo-muscular frame that allows the gargantuan stone body to move in the first place, comes through the trees, snapping all of them into two.

And that was just one, out of the _many more_ that emerged around us.

Some broke through the trees and through the vacant cottages, others simply climbed up from the cliff face around Kaido's shell, and a few/23 of them simply jumped down from the skyscraper-tall trees, crashing down upon the shell's environment like a rain of meteors, with one of them crashing onto the same cabin that I was just in.

... Thankfully, Malty's borderline-cockroach levels of survivability once again, spares her of a grisly fate, but considering how many times she presumably peed herself, I think we're going to have to consider treating her rash at some point. Just to add more hilarity, as soon as I saw her woke up next to an army of these stone juggernauts, she simply fell back asleep, pretending that this is all a bad dream.

... Or did she faint? Either way, it was a small, momentary glimpse in an otherwise, hopeless situation that me and my party found ourselves in, _again_.

Upon the sound of the roars and the crashes, everyone remaining wakes up, finds themselves surrounded by stone monsters with massive clubs, and hastily forms up around the center.

"IT'S ONLY BEEN A WEEK, KID!" L'Arc loudly remarked, more irritant than usual.

"I'm starting to question your competence as a leader." Glass scathingly remarked.

"TO BE FAIR, I DID GIVE YOU THREE A CHANCE TO WALK AWAY TWO WEEKS AGO!" I retorted.

Yeah, not gonna lie.

... Our chances of survival are really slim right now. Why?

Well... One [Analyze] later...

**Name: [Spriggan]**

**Class: [Phantasmal Encounter]**

**Level: 120**

**Affinity: [Earth]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Item Drops: [Heartstone] (80%) [Guardian Sigil, Oberon] (10%), [King's Bludgeon, Lear] (5%), [Yggdrasil Crown] (5%)**

**Attack: 230**

**Defense: 400**

**Agility: 50**

**Luck: 75**

**HP: 2,500**

**MP: 0**

... By the way, I stopped counting after the number _50_.

"Well..." I heaved out, on the verge of losing my nerves. "... Should I die, all of you, run."

"Yeah, alright then." L'Arc stated. "I hope you die quickly then."

"No hesitation!" I remarked. "I admire your decisiveness!"

"WILL YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP AND FIGHT OUR WAY OUT!?" Spitznagel barked out, clutching onto his daughter close to him.

"DADDY!" Imia cried into his armor.

As the literal army of [Spriggan] began to close into us, Grimm then sudden opens his pages on its own...

... With Strelitzia coming out to face the [Spriggans].

**"... Honestly."** The [Dryad] sighed out disappointment.** "Is this how you welcome back your mother?"**

"... Wait." I droned our in disbelief. "... You're telling me... that the [Treant] that we left behind a month prior..."

I then looked up at the trees towering over all of us again, now with a new context zapping my brain.

"... Huh, so apparently, they learned how to level grind." I dryly chuckled out.

One of the [Spriggans] then kneel down, opens its stone exterior like a mech suit, revealing a plantlike humanoid akin to Strelitzia, albeit, male. Even weirder, it has my fresh face, but not as fat as I was back when I was a kid.

... Basically, a prettier version of me, that wouldn't look out of place in a K-Pop boyband. Or any male lead in a CLAMP work.

"... I... uhh... wha..." I tried to speak, but every time I tried to, I fell half-braindead halfway through each word that I tried to articulate.

The green humanoid that came out of the [Spriggan] like a mech suit laughed before speaking.

**"Well, in a normal human perspective, a child can only fully mature after a decade or two."** The revealed [Spriggan] remarked sheepishly.** "But for us, a month was more than enough suffice to adapt and grow. There were plenty of adventurers to go around and eat, and plenty of tribulations and hardships to go through to adapt from. The more they threw at us, the more we bit back, until they just up and quit, but after that, we decided to... well, expand."**

Whoa.

... I mean, dude, whoa.

**"... Wait."** Strelitzia pointed out as she looked closer at the [Spriggan].** "... You're not exactly my son, aren't you? I mean, I know that you're from me, but not that young..."**

He then adopts a more, somber look to his face.

**"... Follow me."** The [Spriggan] somberly remarked at all of us.** "I need to show all of you something."**

The [Spriggans] surrounding us all pick us up with their hands and take us towards into the gigantic weald in front of Kaido.

"That's everyone, right?" I asked out.

"Yes sir, including the harlot." Byakko remarked on Malty slung over Alpha's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Oh, good."

With snap of my fingers, I dismiss Kaido, the [Admantortoise], leaving behind only a massive trail of ruined earth behind him.

... Hopefully, trees grow back faster than the ones that we're all heading into.

As we all walk by the absolutely titanic forests of this overgrowth, I pass by several skeletons ensnared by the surrounding vines, all of them looking to wear equipment from all hierarchies, ranging from greenhorns to veterans, as I can somewhat appraise them from their respective wear and tear, to their overall quality and practicality.

... Not like it mattered in the end, since they're all dead.

**"So... how's the forest?" **The youthful [Spriggan] asked through his stone mech suit.

"Well, lack of sunlight aside, I like it." I remarked. "Not too hot, not too cold, my home would literally kill for this kind of vegetation. ... Quite literally."

"Kid, how fucked is your world?" L'Arc asked in genuine disbelief.

"On the verge of complete and utter ruin mainly due to late-stage capitalism." I plainly remarked. "The same can be said for this world, only human and demihuman goods are considered a thing."

"You don't have any friends back home, do ya?" L'Arc remarked.

"Not a single one!" I remarked. "Also, to quote a certain someone; 'Shaddup! Here I have power!'"

L'Arc grimaces at my words. Can't blame him, I'm a bigger scum than the [Three Cardinal Heroes], but unlike me, they have this so-called virtue of "race loyalty".

... The root cause of roughly about (I'm spitballing here), 70% of the world's problems. The other 30% being composed of money, religion, culture, and whatever human impulses that we cling onto.

If the everyone in the world was a bit more honest with themselves, I get the feeling that the world will be full of extremist martyrs throwing their lives away without a second thought.

Which, I gotta ask; will people literally kill themselves for the preservation of the concept of money? Is anarchism the final stage of the collective's will upon a fallout of every single system of rule?

... Is the notion of the cure being worse than the disease complete bullshit, or does it hold merit depending on the context?

"Ugh, I'm thinking too much..." I groaned out. "... I guess this is what they refer to as 'missing the forest for the trees'."

"Boo." Rio exclaimed.

"Ugh, bugger off." I retorted.

After that, we find ourselves in a massive clearing akin to that of an open plain.

Unlike the other parts of the forest, sunlight itself was abundant, the grass was radiant with the colors of emerald green, the air was perfectly clear and refreshing to the soul, and numerous creatures, from beasts like birds to deers, to even numerous [Alraune] blooming and sunbathing in these plains.

The whole scenery would be perfect... if it weren't for the numerous moss-covered skeletons of [Wyvern] and [Wyvern Knight] alike, all littered throughout the grass, each of them being in different states of decay and erosion, their armor, covered in dents and rust all over their once-metallic sheen of silver, now fading away into complete obscurity, their weapons, all broken and staked into the grass, acting as their tombstones for both the rider and mount, fallen long away from their homes, away from their loved ones, simply out of one family desiring to kill another.

It's clear that this place came under literal fire numerous times over, each attack hardening the forest and its inhabitants to become more resilient. Each life lost, replaced with another generation, stronger than the last. An endless war of attrition called "survival", the grass field of the dead and living as its microcosm.

"... Sunnuvabitch, these guys are everywhere." I gritted out. "First Kaido, and now, they tried to take home base. How in the actual fuck did they zero in on us so fast!?"

"To be fair, we've been gone for a month." Byakko stated. "Casualties aside, I suggest we find our way to the [Archive] quickly as possible."

**"This way." **The [Spriggan] remarked as he led us deeper into the woods.

As we continued our way though, we passed by even more bodies, all of them rotted or eaten away into skeletons, with Rino accidentally stepping on a skull that caved under her boot, followed with a yipe of surprise.

"A full month, and this much growth happens?" I remarked.

**"They clearly sent their best at us, an army of level 90 average, every day."** The [Spriggan] stated.** "They killed many of our kin, so simply opted to kill more of them in return. Even as we speak, the forest is under attack, but from where we are now, we're miles away from being set upon by the [Spear Hero] and his party. Their ****deficiency on adaptation has been a great boon to us, since it gives us a chance to learn and adapt to our enemy's tactics and recoup our numbers."**

"Oh right, how's limp dick doing?" I asked.

**"You mean the [Spear Hero]?"** The [Spriggan] stated.** "His frustrations were indeed amusing at first, but now even he's just as sick of it as we are. But unlike him and his conclave of breeders, we have no alternatives other than total extinction. But to his credit and our detriment, he's been holding the line at the capital city of Melromarc, not even we were to get past their front lines outside of their walls."**

"Heh, he's persistent, that's for sure." I remarked. "... Maybe him being the master of the horizontal tango isn't a bluff, after all."

"Oof, I felt that." Rio grimaced. "Damned by a faint praise..."

"He's easy pickings, that's for sure." I grinned while still being piggybacked by Byakko.

"I'm surprised that he's even qualified to even be a [Hero] in the first place..." Atlas pointed out while walking being Malva as she was gripping on her mother's skirt. "... Are the standards for Melromarc that low?"

"Gotta be, since they brought _me_, of all people, here in the first place." I remarked. "But let's just save the Motoyasu roasting when we see the man in person, kay?"

"Hear hear." Fohl remarked.

**"We're here." **

We are then standing before an extremely massive tree, that made the already-massive trees around the weald look puny in comparison to the complete _Yggdrasil_ before us.

At the roots, a skeleton of a full-sized [Dragon] stood, its form and structure remaining perfectly intact, despite the moss and roots surrounding it.

"Holy shitsnacks..." I gasped out. "... You weren't kidding kid, they brought the big guns and even that failed."

The [Spriggan] lets out a small chuckle at my statement.

**"... Correct idea, wrong context."** The green youth remarked. **"Take a closer look."**

We all then move closer towards the snarling skeleton of a [Dragon] covered in moss, only for us to realized that the skeleton wasn't made of bone.

... Those roots? They're a _part_ of the so-called skeleton. The skeleton of this [Dragon] wasn't a skeleton at all, but rather, a root formation looking like a [Dragon]'s skeleton.

"... I've seen enough weird shit ever since I joined you, but this definitely takes the cake." L'Arc remarked.

"I don't think root and tree branches aren't supposed to be twisted into the visage of a [Dragon]'s skeleton." Theresa pointed out.

**"It's no [Dragon]." **The [Spriggan] remarked. **"_Grandmother_ here knows that better than anyone else."**

I saw my [Dryad] wife approach the wooden [Dragon] skeleton, before breaking down in tears.

"... Honey?" I asked out of concern, with the sheer horrid realization settling into my mind. "... Oh goddammit."

That "Dragon Skeleton" was the same [Treant] that waved at me a month back.

... I'm literally standing before my dead son's corpse.

"Explain." I blankly remarked, trying to push down my impulsive emotions from making do anything stupid. "Everything."

The [Spriggan] then lets out a sigh before speaking.

**"... Two weeks ago, the whole forest came under attack spearheaded by the [Spear Hero]."** The [Spriggan] explained.** "We were pushed to back lines on that day, with the opposing forces bringing herbicide and torches to set the whole forest ablaze. Amidst the chaos, one of the enemy forces discovered the existence of the [Archive] and attempted to storm the place. In desperation, father used one of the relics inside the many vaults of the [Archive], a secret formula labeled [Nemesis-3], and forcibly evolved himself into a [Jabberwocky]. Thanks to him, we were able to push them back, and make them pay for every blade of grass they've trampled upon, with only a handful of them, including the [Spear Hero], making a hasty retreat. But after the battle ended, father's body began to grow stiff, his whole body, became cold to the touch, now serves as a monument to our reinforced conviction..."**

The [Spriggan] than looks back towards me.

**"... And it paid off, now that _you've_ returned." **He stated as he fiddled with a necklace that was fashioned from a shard of glass tagged with the letters "-emis-". **"Now, we can begin to retake the offensive, and make them pay for what they did to father. Grandfather, we must take action!"**

... I was completely baffled at my now-grandson's zealotry, along with my negligence paid with a semi-misplaced faith.

I don't want to reject his wishes, nor I wish to perpetuate this cycle of violence that I've started any longer than it should've have. I've now reached the point; a line on the sand has been drawn.

Do I continue, or do I stop here?

... Unable to give a clear answer, I take the third, temporary action.

"... I need a minute."

Byakko then takes me deeper into my own son's dead body (for lack of a better term), and deeper into the chasm, we find more and more skeletons piled onto the stone floors, each being eaten out by numerous [Failed Homunculus Types A-C], and eventually, we reach Doppio's old boss chamber...

... With a mere pit taking place of the secret elevator shaft.

"Son of a bitch, they gotten in this far?" I cursed.

"Hang on tight." Byakko stated. "We're shimmying down."

Byakko then pressed all four of his hands and feet against the elevator shaft and slowly slides down towards the bottom. Eventually, Byakko's feet land on the bottom, or rather, the top of the elevator itself.

"... So, is there an upper hatch in case of emergences?" I asked.

All Byakko can do is stare at me with a blank look.

"... You, I get the feeling that whoever built this place didn't take into account on this place being breached." I grumbled out. "... Myself, as the resident, included."

"Hang on." Byakko remarked. "We're not through just yet."

He then raises his hand up, balls it into a fist, and red, vein-like lines glow on his skin.

"Master, I highly advise closing your mouth and eyes."

I did as he told, and then...

*CRASH*

*THUD*

"... You may open them now."

I then open my eyes, finding ourselves standing on top of a rubble pile.

We were in the elevator chamber, the doors pried open agape, and at the foot of the door, was a wizened corpse sitting against the door ledge.

"Yeah, this ain't funny anymore." I groaned out.

I spot the Nexus, covered in dents, as if someone tried to destroy it, but it still persevered its functions.

My butler sets me down on a chair next to the Nexus, watching my back in case of any stragglers hiding in the ruined [Archive], with myself putting Grimm on the node to activate the Nexus.

"Let's see..." I spoke to myself as I scrolled down through the holographic screens. "... Level 80... Requirement met... click."

In the folder labeled "Level 80", there was only one file in it.

A video.

"Well, things can get any worse then what already happened..." I remarked as I clicked on the file with the play button without hesitation.

**"H... Hello? Is this thing on!?"**

**"... Wait, we're live!? Oh, in that case, I... eh, guess we can get to talking shop."**

I looked towards Byakko, who's avoiding eye contact from me.

"... Byakko?" I asked.

**"K-Kid..."** I heard Grimm, seemingly more nervous than usual.** "... You might want to look what's on the screen."**

I look, and suddenly, nothing made sense anymore.

I thought I couldn't go any more insane then I already was, but as this world has proven countless times, it's out to prove me wrong.

"What the hell..." I breathed out.

For what I saw on that screen... I simply couldn't comprehend. All the madness beforehand, were simply preludes to this climax.

I wanted to laugh at the absurdity, but I was too horrified at the implications behind it.

Everything and nothing made sense, but at the same time, it started to make sense.

Hindsight, foresight.

Either, neither.

Past, Future.

Logic, illogic.

Advance, escape.

... I'm now out of options, for there were none to begin with.

"... WHAT THE HELL AM_ I_ DOING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT SCREEN!?"

* * *

**_To Be Continued..._**

* * *

**Author's Notes: **... Plot twist.

I swear, I kinda hate myself every time I write this, but at the same time, I'm kinda having fun with my own craziness that I witting/unwittingly cooked up. So, here's the rundown.

Nan goes through the textbook definition of "pyrrhic victory", not only losing his arm and several of the ex-slaves that he'd saved during the attack on the [Wyvern Knights], and just to add battery acid to this already-caustic mess of a world, ItEHTtSD (If the Emperor Had Text-to-Speech Device)'s iteration of Skarbrand the Exiled has been unleashed upon the world, all because whoever created [Sibylline] happened to be worshipping the Chaos Gods.

Also, Naofumi's jailers are based off Arknight units Siege, Amiya, Matterhorn, and Hoshiguma, but some deviations had to be made, since A, I'm barely past chapter 3 in the main story, and B, contextual deviation dictates that I shift their characterizations to fit the world around them, particularly with the Hoshiguma-expy, Hou Gui, in which case, I apologize for any Hoshiguma fans.

Of course, inferred holocaust of several Melromarc-affilated villages aside, the whole party makes it back home... post-fallout. Who knew a month-long absence without locking the door can lead to the whole place getting... ransacked? On the plus side, nothing was touched, or stolen, but the whole rock is littered with bodies.

... Like every friggn' Tuesday.

Also, in-between writing, been getting into those old, pre/non-Rambo Vietnam War movies, like Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, etc. Kinda based the tone off of those works, particularly the black comedy and bathos used in this chapter.

* * *

_**Current Party Members:**_

* * *

**Name: [Great Scourge], Nan Hon-Jah**

**Class: [Tome Fallen]**

**Level: 95**

**Affinity: [All Eight Elements] & [Ten Primordial Sins]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Mad**

**Equipment: ****[Forbidden Tome, Grimm the Heretic], [Grimoire Heart], [Lemegeton],**** [Necromancer's Robes], [Mire Boots], [Wight's Rune of Spite], [Silver Wolf's Maw], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Visage of Madness], [Mystic Geas: Puppeteer], [Slayer's Rusted Plate Armor]**

**Legion: None**

**Attack: 124 (+140)**

**Defense: 103 (+40)**

**Agility: 96 (+35)**

**Luck: 120 (+45)**

**HP: 900 (+105)**

**MP: 1,100 (+250)**

* * *

**Name: Garou**

**Class: [Brawler]**

**Level: 98**

**Affinity: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Assassin's Leather Armor], [Nightshroud], [Blade Gauntlets], [Primal Claws], [Katars]**

**Attack: 128 (+50)**

**Defense: 90 (-20)**

**Agility: 135 (+65)**

**Luck: 78 (+20)**

**HP: 1,050 (+20)**

**MP: 450 (-100)**

* * *

**Name: Fubuki**

**Class: [Monk]**

**Level: 96**

**Affinity: [Ice]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Twilight Gunstaff], [Darkbane Gauntlets], [Twilight Cloak], [Twilight Hunter's Hood], [Mana Medallion]**

**Legion: [Librarians]**

**Attack: 112 (+45)**

**Defense: 79 (+30)**

**Agility: 120 (+25)**

**Luck: 123 (+20)**

**HP: 800 (-50)**

**MP: 1,230 (+100)**

* * *

**Name: Genbu**

**Class: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Affinity: None**

**Alignment: ?**

**Equipment: [Wayward Nomad's Garbs], [Silver Pocket Watch & Chain], [Silver Shortsword], [Silver Buckler], [Fafnir's Flametongue]**

**Attack: ?**

**Defense: ?**

**Agility: ?**

**Luck: 9,999**

**HP: ?**

**MP: ?**

* * *

**Name: Rino**

**Class: [Assassin]**

**Level: 92**

**Affinity: [Earth]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Neutral**

**Equipment: [Brave Compound Bow], [Spark Dagger], [Steel Throwing Knives x20], [Assassin's Cloak], [Shadow Mufflers], [Silent Step Sandals]**

**Legion: [Anointed Children]**

**Attack: 122 (+80)**

**Defense: 70 (+10)**

**Agility: 148 (+120)**

**Luck: 122 (+90)**

**HP: 600 (+40)**

**MP: 550 (+40)**

* * *

**Name: Glass**

**Class: [Phantom Fan Saint]**

**Level: 100*(Ready for [Promotion])**

**Affinity: [Dark]**

**Alignment: Chaotic Good**

**Equipment: [Sacred Fans], [Kimono of Mourning], [Pristine Visage]**

**Legion: [Blood-Oath Zealots]**

**Attack: 135 (+50)**

**Defense: 103 (+70)**

**Agility: 154 (+50)**

**Luck: 84 (+100)**

**HP: 940 (+200)**

**MP: 940 (+250)**

* * *

So, what do you readers think of this Epic?

Will Naofumi's remainder of his semi-railroaded trip lead to even more questions?

What's with the Volunteer's Division being comprised of differing political views?

Will the next morning smell like napalm?

And just what will Skarbrand HATE next?

Please leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience are thinking?


	33. Epic 32: The Armory

**ERROR**

**ERROR**

**ERROR**

**ERROR**

**ERROR**

**ERROR**

**ERROR  
**

**ERROR**

**_system_rebooting_**

**_continue_**

**_yes_**

**_no_**

* * *

_**Epic 32: The Armory**_

* * *

**"_Inter arma enim silent leges_ (Amidst arms, laws fall silent)."**

**Marcus Tullius Cicero**

* * *

**Switching POV: Back to 1st Person(?)**

... My mind just, simply... shut down.

That person on the screen, without a doubt, was _me_. Completely, and undoubtably, me.

The key differences were that the other "me" was less visible scars shown all over my body, his face was more muscular and clean-shaven, my hair was shorter, I was a bit bigger, spitballing it on around 5'11 to my current 5'8, and weirdest of all, there was a silver dog tag dangling around my neck, along with countless others dangling from the same chain.

"... Did I join the fucking Army or something?" I remarked trying to alleviate the shock that the revelation presented, but only worsened my sanity's degradation.

**"Just shut up, kid."** Grimm remarked.** "I think the video's about to say something."**

... And indeed, myself on the screen cleared his throat before speaking.

**"... So it has come to this."**

**"Roughly spent about good 5-6 years or somewhere around that ballpark in this ****world, and believe it or not, I kinda can't tell this world my original apart."**

**"Both sides of this transdimensional shitshow each have their own issues of rich people running everything and people still finding ways to hate each other despite everything going on. You'd except them to learn, but evidently, the only thing learn in both worlds is to one-up their previous fuck-up into something even more fierce."**

**"... Maybe joining ANTIFA was a bad idea, but in hindsight, it was either that or get lynched by the whole 'Blood and Soil' movement just like the rest of my family, all because we weren't white. Frankly, I got swept up by the whole selective services right before all of the entire planet went straight to hell after a global EMP."**

"... Global, EMP?" I remarked at my other self's testimony. "You mean like the internet and general electricity has been fried seven ways to Saturday?"

**"... Anyway, I did a lot of crappy shit, such as kill people with an FN SCAR just a day after training, then desert along with a few others at Mount Rushmore exploded by sleeper Russian agents/rich white people going postal after their dollar value went to complete and utter shit, watched the whole White House burn down during the bloodbath between the BaS and ANTIFA, going at each other's throats with stolen military equipment, or at least the ones that didn't require electricity to run on."**

**"... It all happened so fast, I couldn't tell whose side I was on anymore, that I shot my own guys out of blind panic, ****eventually lost my nerve and used them as meatshields, dead or alive."**

**"... This is what it feels like to be a hypocrite. To suddenly start feeling sorry for their lives when I initially didn't care for them in the slightest, down to not even remembering their names. After that, I joined ANTIFA who were rounding up the BaS survivors, and forced me to shoot em."**

**"I once thought that they were just mindless brutes who clung onto their fabricated past simply because they didn't have anywhere else to go, but upon seeing their faces contorted in fear..."**

**"... It felt good being able to put them down like mongrels. After that, I stopped caring for others's lives and began killing even more people under their banner."**

**"Hindsight, if I've heard of them during my high school years, I would've joined them in a heartbeat just so that I can vent my rage against those who I perceived that they deserved it. I often believed that humanity must advance, and those who hold it back are to be exterminated like the dead weight they are."**

**"... In reality, the truth was more horrific. After the EMP, everything was finally shown clear to me."**

**"The world that I was born and raised in were merely simulations. Simulations, run by people in the top 1%, using their Wall Street cred and influence to manipulate society to this point."**

**"'Blood and Soil'? ANTIFA? KKK? Skinheads? The Bible Belt Televangelists? The Somali Guerrillas? The Narcos? Anyone with a gun and a fanatical worship of the 2nd Amendment?"**

**"... They started this, and they ended this. But unfortunately for them, the EMP was beyond their control. And now, no one has a price tag hanging on their heads."**

**"Purpose itself died along with Capitalism and the people whose souls were poisoned by it. All's that left is dust, myself included. As soon as electricity died, another pandemic, with talk around some survivors calling it COVID-25, and suddenly, a mad dash for any available gas masks that they can find lying around began, with more people dying in the process, whether by bullet or bubonic, no one was safe."**

**"As far as I was concerned, I was trapped in an arms bunker in god-knows-where, and I broke the lock to the safe, and I remember slowly starving myself to death in it. Didn't know how long it took me to die, but sure as hell being out there than in here."**

**"... Death by isolation. I guess that counts as hope in a world where despair was the only truth."**

... What my other self said before me was nothing short of an _Apocalypse_.

EMP, pandemic, anarchy, despair, conspiracy, and then, isolation in a white man's wet dream.

My whole family? Dead? Just what and why?

What kind of hell did this version myself went through?

Everything and nothing made sense, but that was the end of it, in _his_ earth.

There was still _here_. This world.

**"Funny thing is, I really didn't believe in an afterlife, and I was readying myself for whatever came next."**

**"... And after being proven right of my deepest and most held-in dark beliefs for god knows how long, it then throws me a curveball and reincarnates me to another world."**

**"I'd assumed it was going to somewhere organic, or at least, somewhere with grass, because god know I haven't seen those for a good while, but weirdly enough, I find myself awake here, the same place that I'm recording as of now."**

**"The very first person I met here? Him."**

He pointed towards Byakko, with the [Perfected Homunculus] coming into the camera and waving at it with a blank expression.

"... This whole Inception shit is start to freak me out." I remarked while half-laughing.

"Master, please remain quiet." Byakko snapped, without a single hint of humor left in him.

**"... At first, I tried to shoot him, but my FN SCAR came out empty. So I pulled my stolen Colt Python... the barrel exploded after not cleaning it up for about more then... I don't know how long. I kinda lost track of time ever since the EMP, and hell, I can't remember how old I am right now either."**

**"Regardless, the first time I saw someone trying not to kill me or on the verge of dying?"**

**"*Sniff* ... I thought I was in the same Heaven I didn't believe in. For the first in a long time, I met someone who I can trust my life to."**

... I guess it's true. No man is an island, and myself on the other side was alone in an apocalyptic world where the only thing that mattered was survival.

I should be happy, glad even, that me from the other side found elation of human contact.

... But I just can't shake the feeling of an unknown dread off. Something's coming, I can taste it.

**"So, the first thing I did at the [Archive]? I grabbed the very first book, _1984_. Haven't read that shit since high school, and boy, even through that shit reminded me of the bad shit that happened in my old world?"**

**"... I got so into it, I literally rewrote the whole book, by hand, out of fascination. The fact that I got do something other than kill is quite... elating."**

**"I wanted to keep staying here, in this study forever, ****resurrect my mind from the mire of blood and death that I've previously consigned myself into. I wanted to stay here, away from any possibility of bloodshed and chaos that I washed my hands of, naive as it sounds."**

**"... Then I heard cries for help. Coming from the other side of the door. Echoing through the halls of the [Archive] as I was reading The Collector."**

**"At first, I ignored it, but then, I felt a knot of guilt forming in my stomach. I thought I've purged all of my consciousness back then, but evidently, I was still human enough to even hear and even register cries of help from afar."**

**"Eventually, I caved in, and opened the door, only to find an elevator shaft, of all things."**

**"It was cramped, cold, yet bright and warm all the same."**

**"... Modernity, a concept so foreign and alien to me, that I almost panicked upon. seeing it again."**

**"But like all things in life, all good things came to an abrupt and messy end."**

**"I've exited the elevator, I was thrust back into the scene of carnality yet again."**

**"I cared not for their appearances, nor who they were, nor the fact that they were ****assaulting a woman in rags."**

**"... I went blind from shock, and I kept swinging my arms and hands onto whatever they can grab, not stopping until I completely stopped feeling anything."**

**"My eyes saw color once more, now with my sole companion in front of me, healing my eyes after blood vessels for the both of them ruptured. From my ailing eyes, I saw what I've done."**

**"... I've killed them. My hands, once more, were covered in blood. Of both the rapists and the victim's."**

**"The feeling alone wants me to make me want to hurl to this day, but I haven't eaten or drank anything today."**

... If the revelation of both of our hands covered in blood of both guilty and innocent were supposed to make me feel any better, _no_, it isn't.

In hindsight, we both came to this because for both of us, violence was the only solution to every problem we've faced.

... Violence was the only thing we knew. But unlike him, I chose this.

I did this.

**"... Then I just realized something. An ****epiphany, a revelation, the reveal."**

**"... No matter what world I end up in, whether one where everyone's wearing camo or plate mail, people are all the same."**

**"There are the ones who will have power and abuse it, and there are the ones who will be oppressed by it. Power itself was the drug that kept all creation moving. Creation only moved towards destruction, and in the end, regardless of whether someone is the holiest of saints or the most vilest of demons, we all die in the end."  
**

**"... So what if, what if I was sent here, to finally end this cycle of power and violence? What if this was a chance for me to finally redeem my soul?"**

Then suddenly, I saw myself laughing like a lunatic.

The fit of his madness was rooted in despair. A simple murderer who tried to walk the path of the hero, only to fail, considering the fact that I'm still here...

... And I simply made it worse.

**"... What a fucking joke. I tried everything, but the only way to kill power itself is through ****power. The whole fabric of creation is build on self-destruction. Words fall to deaf ears, actions only breed more counteractions, violence spawns more violence, and saving people only rewards you with knives to the back."**

He then turns around and shows me several knife wound scars plastered all over is back.

That kind of array of injuries can only come from getting shrapnel sprayed all over your back. Evidently, individual shrapnel here are apparently size of kitchen knives, all contained in the bomb called "people".

**"It's as if justice isn't a dead concept in this world. It simply never existed to begin with."**

**"The word 'justice' is simply a facade that legitimatizes the flow of power itself. There is no such thing as 'true justice', nor the idea of 'justice being blind'."**

**"... Like Oedipus, the word 'justice' ripped its own eyes out after consigning itself into the role as a mere tool. After, if tools don't think for themselves, then how can feel anything? How can it feel despair of being born and by into a world where no one knows how to compromise on anything?"**

**"Yes, there are no decent people left. We're consigned to a world where its fate is only decided by those in power."**

**"A world without compromise. A world where people tolerate bondage if it means getting food on the table, but even then, they don't regard the fact that they'll be captured and sold like cattle someday."**

**"I should know, because I was the one who caused the war between Melromarc and Siltvelt."**

"... How?" I shuddered out. "... How did it come to this!?"

"It's best if you listened to it yourself, master." Byakko remarked in a mildly venomous tone.

**"... Where do I even start?"**

**"Well, first of all, I wasn't even at the mainland when it all started. In fact, I was at Q'Ten Lo, the most isolated and remote ****region available. For a supposedly xenophobic country, they welcomed me into their land, thinking that I was some adventurer who got lost and found his way back, all because I happened to have the same face as them."**

**"... Is it bad in hindsight for me to say that this was the first time I saw Asian racism before me? Me fitting in a kingdom where both human and demihuman, as long as they aren't born or native to this kingdom, were enslaved like cattle?"**

**"... What a fucking joke. No matter where I go, I won't be able to escape the yoke of power running everyone's information, culture, and capital."**

**"There, I applied for a job as a tutor, for one of the royal princes of the current Emperor."**

**"A young [Filolial King], barely five years old, but his eyes were not that of a child's."**

**"... Rather, they were like mine, mired in swamps of blood. Not that uncommon in my old world, for whatever that's worth. But for someone who's one of the younger princes, I thought he'd be a little less... sullen."**

**"... Why do feel like I should be referencing something, about dragons and people doing it, yet I cannot recall what it is?"**

It's Game of Thrones.

Even myself on the other side had reached the point where he'd forgot about the things that shaped who we were.

... We were slaves to the rich, melded and shaped the way they pump out, fed on their malarky like cattle to corn.

Complacency, that's the sin that defined our generation, and he's on the side that paid for it, and more.

... Perhaps I'm this world's tax collector? Has it truly come full circle?

**"For the next few years, I spent them teaching the kid, from basic ****arithmetic to court conduct. As a student, he was rather fascinated by our similar eyes, the ones that were completely wringed dry of hope."**

**"... So I thought to myself, what if I taught him the meaning of the word hope? Can we both be able to bring hope back to this marred world together?"**

**"... What if I can usher in a new generation? One where logic and rationale can trump irrational power-mania and greed? The one where the laws keep the people in line for the greater good?"**

**"... What if I can make the world save itself?"**

"... I think there might be really big 'but' coming up." I remarked with barely suppressed dread.

"You don't know the half of it." Byakko stated, now no longer calling me master, with a tinge of regret in his voice.

**"I don't wanna watch..." **Grimm winced as he closed himself.

**"Upon returning to mainland after my services in Q'Ten Lo, returned back to the [Archive] to resume my studies, content with a supposed job well done."**

**"... Then it happened again, cries for help echoed in the halls once again, but this time, I did not hesitate."**

**"I ran as fast as I could, and kept running and opened the door and killed the rapists myself, but even then, it was already too late."**

**"She was dead, her wounds too many opened, and too little blood left in them. In confusion, I peeked outside, and what I saw..."**

**"... Was Hell worse than before, all ushered by my former student and his guards, with the most innocent yet cruel smile on his face."**

**"He was a literal lovechild between the most beautiful angel and the cruelest of demons. Standing before me was now the new Crown Prince of Q'Ten Lo, the one who states that he's one who sparked the war between two hostile nations, all part of his plan to 'save the world'."**

**"I asked why, he simply answered 'I'm going to usher this world a new age of benevolence with your teachings'."**

I saw myself pull down his collar of his shirt, revealing a bullet wound shaped like the sun.

**"... Then he shot me with his [Bookmarker], a modified Derringer that I've gifted him for self-defense my body falling back into the same hole I emerged out of. In hindsight, I think he just spared me so that I may live long enough to see his world of 'benevolence'."**

I saw myself pull out a revolver.

**"... I'm not going humor his so-called 'benevolence' anymore."**

He then pointed the barrel to his own head.

**"I failed as a person, I failed as a hero, and now I failed as a teacher."**

**"Whoever's watching this, consider this whole video journal entry a warning for what's to come."**

**"Whether it's only a few days after recording or several ****centuries where the world has become one giant clockwork, if you're watching this, then take heed the following:"**

**"Beware of the four Kingdoms, for they will continue to find new ways to instigate conflict for profit."**

**"Beware of hope itself, for it is the great lie that poisons the minds away from the truth known as despair."**

**"Beware of people, both human and demihuman, for neither side will accept a compromise in this populist-propaganda paradise that they call home, and will not stop until one side is rendered subservient to the other."**

**"And above all else..."**

He then pulls the gun's hammer back.

***CLICK***

**"... Beware of Zhuge Yi, my former student, for he knows too much, and will do whatever it takes to shape this world with his so-called 'benevolence', and stomp out whatever gets in his way of his ambitions."**

**"I have an armory at the ****bottommost floor with a password confirmation lock built into it. It contains all the best weapons and equipments that the Vaults here pale in comparison."**

**"The password is 'Feel Good'. The password is 'Feel Good'."**

**"And with that..."**

**"... I'll see myself to Hell, yours truly, I kinda _forgot_."**

"... Wait-NO-"

***BANG***

***THUD***

... I literally saw myself commit suicide.

Gray matter... everywhere-

*URP*

*BLEGH*

... This is easily the worst stress vomit I've ever had the displeasure of puking.

"... Ugh... This is... really too much... haa, haa, ... for me." I hyperventilated. "Me, causing all of this shit to happen!? HOW!? WHY!?"

I look back up at the video entry, only to see the label "FILE TERMINATED" on the screen.

"... Byakko." I growled out, all of my teeth clenched. "Explain."

The butler lets out a sigh before speaking.

"The truth is..." Byakko remarked. "... You were my master _17_ times in a row."

"... What." I croaked out. "You mean, _I_ did this shit, 17 TIMES IN A ROW!?"

I grab him by his collar and yank him closer towards me.

"How!?" I asked. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME SOONER!?"

"... Because my biological programming forbade me from doing otherwise up until the conditions were met." Byakko answered. "After all, your previous iterations did this."

"They're not me right now, isn't it!?" I pointed out. "I'm still here!"

"Correct, which is why they did it in the first place." Byakko remarked nonchalantly. "Like for instance, you of all people know that knowledge must be kept exclusive lest the outsiders abuse them to their own ends, is it not? Isn't that why you didn't tell the others straight up about Medea? About there being other worlds like theirs, because you of all people knew that if they learned of that, what's stopping them from spreading their poisonous influence throughout other worlds, worsening the situation of imperialism and slavery at hand!?"

... Is that why I never clear them up about Glass, L'Arc, and Theresa being from other worlds?

After all, what was stopping the other people from simply considering them no different from the monsters that emerged from the [Wave]? Will even telling the people of the bigger picture even change anything?

"... You of all people know the futility of man better than anyone else." Byakko remarked coldly. "I should know, because I've witnessed it, 17 times. All of them, you trying to become a more moral person, only to end in failure, either being capture and burnt at the stake, taking your own life, or dying prematurely!"

The [Perfected Homunculus] then begins crying, tears dripping out of his eyes.

"... Too many times, I've seen you die over and over in despair." Byakko tearfully remarked. "Each failure was a legacy left behind for this very moment. I beg of you, master-no, Nan..."

He then places his other hand on my other shoulder.

"... End this nightmare, once and for all." Byakko cried out. "I don't want to see you dying again as an empty shell of a man, defined only by his failures to save the world!"

Byakko then bawls into my chest, his tears soaking through my dirty clothes.

"... If you're not going to be the [Hero] that'll save this world, then be a [Hero] who'll save me, who've stood by your side, countless times over." Byakko begged. "Not just for me, but to free us from the yoke of this cruel world, and bring the long-awaited karma upon it! Please! It's not just me that can't bear with this shit anymore! The twins! The [Filolial King] and the [Tyrera Queen]! The otherworlders! The Hakuko Family! The freed slaves! The [Summons]! ... We're all tired of continuing to live in a world where the ones in power are the ones decide who lives and dies their way of choosing. The [Heroes] may save this world and its people..."

**... But you're the only one who can _change_ it.**

... _Change_. That word resonated with me.

What did I come here for in the first place? I was just some stupid high school kid getting by after two false arrests, and then all of the sudden, I was whisked away to this world that's actively out of anger me in every way possible through its endless parade of human decency deficiency, and now I learn that I'm master #18 like some sort of weird-ass fanfic that's more akin in a work like Mega Man rather than a medieval fantasy-isekai bullshit.

... But at the same time, I just can't leave them be here, after we've come too far. If I did, they will never forgive me, and I will never forgive myself for leaving them.

They stayed with me, so the least I can do is see this through.

"... Look." I spoke to Byakko, his eyes now stained with tears. "I can't speak for you, my party, the ex-slaves, or the past 17 versions of me that you had to watch and die every time. So instead, I'll speak for myself and answer that through my own words, not as another piece of myself, but as who I am now."

"... Very well." Byakko stated as he wiped his eyes with his sleeves. "What is your answer?"

I close my eyes, and reflect upon what I went through in this world.

This world is indeed cruel, but looking back, it's just like my own.

People are simply trying to get by, ethical or otherwise, myself included.

I was never fighting for a greater ideal or for the people that I love. I simply fought because my well of anger is bottomless. But the real question is, where is well of anger stemmed from?

Is it ignorance of my fellow man that enrages me, always thinking to myself that they can do better, when in reality, they don't know better?

Is it injustice, of countless lives being subjugated to crushing debt and squalor, all because the people running society has poisoned and drugged us to become addicts and slaves to capitalism?

Is it nihilism, my innermost despair that no matter what people do to change the world, in the end, we all die, leaving behind nothing but the world that we relentlessly raped and ravaged in our endless pursuit of prosperity?

... It was never simply one of those three, when it was in fact, all three of them all along. In fact, those things that filled up my well of hatred against my fellow man?

They simply distracted me from what I was fighting and living for this whole time. The answer was right in my face all along.

I never fought for good, nor I fought for evil.

... I just simply fought, because that's what I desire the most out of my life. To become the last man standing in a world where everyone is struggling towards the top, to figure out what I truly want out of what life had to offer at its purest.

Whoever's the last one standing is the righteous; that is the law of this world. And I wished to become change itself.

And right now, what I fight for is not for something so grand like the fate of the world. I'm simply fighting for these people because I simply can. People overcomplicate their own motives with love, connections, sentiments, and honor, when all a person needs to fight needs are power and will.

I fight for them because they asked. That's all there's to it.

Glass, L'Arc, and Theresa wanting to save their people? Garou and Fubuki dying together of old age? Seiryu and Suzaku becoming the strongest they can be? The ex-slaves wanting to take revenge against the homes that abandoned them? Byakko wanting to see me no longer in despair yet again?

... I chose to carry these burdens, because they're the reasons that give meaning.

"... If I can see you be truly happy, and break this cycle, what will you do?" I asked. "I won't judge what will you do next. All I wish is to simply know."

Byakko lets out a tearful look before answering.

"... I will cease functioning entirely after my objectives have been completed."

I simply nod.

"Then I will make sure that you die happy." I replied. "If we're gonna die..."

"... We'll do it together."

He then picks me up from my seat and piggybacks my body on his suited back.

"So, the Armory?" I pointed out. "... I remember something about a password."

**"Don't worry, ladies, I gotcha." **Grimm stated. **"The password's 'Feel Good', remember?"**

"... Oh, like the Gorillaz?" I pointed out.

Guess my other self didn't entirely forget who he was. Or who we were.

*click*

... My thoughts were then grounded to a halt upon hearing something drop.

We all turn our heads to find one of the Melromarc's [Royal Guards] still alive, albeit on the verge of death, with a functioning [Projection Orb] rolling down his lap.

"... Oh shit."

I don't even hesitate to pull out my [Grimoire Heart], load in a page, aimed down the barrel...

*BANG*

*KABOOM*

... For the last time, evidently.

Yeah, I really should've taken up gun maintenance.

"SON OF A BITCH!" I threw my now-useless [Grimoire Heart] with an exploded barrel at the now literally topless corpse with the shattered orb. "URAGH! HOW MUCH DO THEY KNOW NOW!?"

"I think it's safe to assume that they now know too much... which really doesn't change the fact that we were going to burn the entirety of the Kingdom of Melromarc down anyway." Byakko pointed out.

**"Yeah, but the kid's missing an arm and a leg, along with several of his weapons!"** Grimm remarked.** "How are we supposed to deal with a literal army like this!?"**

"... The Armory, now."

All three of us break for the now recently-open basement within our massive underground complex, Byakko carrying me on his back while he skipped over the overgrowth of roots that managed to break through the white metal plates that made up the whole damn hallway.

We come across the locked vault door, with a keypad behind the bramble of roots that obscured it, Byakko's fingers cramming through the bramble to reach it.

"'Feel Good', right?" Byakko asked.

"Yeah, if I recall correctly."

Remembering the password itself wasn't the problem, but the fact that we barely can see the damn keypad itself through the bramble was the real issue.

"Hey Grimm, can you see anything?" I asked.

My [Forbidden Tome] tries to take a peek through the bramble, only to simply give up looking and simply opt to eat the bramble off of Byakko's hand instead, five seconds later.

"..."

"..."

**"... You're welcome!"**

Byakko simply types in the password, and the doors open.

We step into the dark room, with the smell of plywood and plants permeating throughout the dark chambers.

"Byakko, where're the lights?" I asked in the dark.

"Hold on, I think it might be here around... there."

*click*

The light come on in the Armory...

... I can see now why's called the "Armory".

"Okay..." I remarked in a flabergasted tone. "... The fuck!?"

Okay, if I can sort-of-recall correctly, this world, particularly Faubley, has achieved technological advancement to manufacture AK-47s in Motoyasu's spinoff, and Itsuki eventually gained abilities to essentially copy modern-day firearms...

... But what in the actual when my other self was hoarding an entire US Marine Base Armory!?

"FN SCARs, USP Tactical .45s, Striker Shotguns, M249 SAWs, M4s, P90s, Remington 870 Tactical Shotguns, and is that fucking Javelin Anti-Tank Missile Launcher over there!?" I exclaimed reciting the names of the firearms, most of which that I got from watching let's plays of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. "HOW!? WHY!? EXPLAIN!"

Byakko sighed before he spoke.

"... Turns out the armory that my previous master locked himself into came along with him." Byakko remarked. "Not even he knows how, but evidently, he really doesn't care to find out as long as the others in this world don't get their greasy mitts on them, to put it into his wordings."

"... Okay, that kinda makes sense." I remarked. "But who's gonna use em? Cuz last I checked..."

I tried to touch the [USP Tactical .45], only for it to reject me.

"... I think none of these are part-[Tome]." I stated. "So who's gonna use em?"

"Well, normally, we would arm the ex-slaves with these, but considering the fact that firearms, while present, are still relatively rare in this world. Not to mention, we do not have the luxury of training them when a whole kingdom's after our heads." Byakko remarked. "... There is the [Homunculus Production Plant] that I can access, and we can implement the knowledge of firearms into their brains."

"Okay, how?"

Byakko then suddenly stabs himself in his head with his fingers, digging through his own gray matter and pulling out a chip from his brain, with me as the sole audience close up.

"... There's a reason why you're my master." Byakko remarked as his hole in the brain closed itself. "You built me to trust my life onto yours. Ergo, the protection forbidden knowledge is my duty as gatekeeper."

"... Yeah, next time, warn me if you're gonna do that, especially when I'm in front row seat." I gagged.

Well, one problem solved.

"... About the equipment that I and the other ex-slaves can use?"

"This way." Byakko stated as he carried me deeper into the Armory, and into another Armory labeled "Vault Ω".

"A special Vault within an Armory?" I pointed out. "How much was this planned, and how much of this is a coincidence?"

"If there's one consistent factor between you and your other iterations, are that you're all obsessively paranoid in varying degrees." Byakko pointed out. "... Turns out, it paid off for this very moment."

**"I ain't complaining!" **Grimm remarked as we entered [Vault Ω].

Upon entering the place, I saw an array of [Tomes] lying about, additional armor and cloaks, and a few guns that I suspect to be [Tome] & [Musket] hybrid weapons.

"*whistle* Nice." I grinned. "Byakko, start up the lab. Imma play dress-up."

"Are you sure that you'll be fine?" Byakko asked.

I then set myself on top of one of the crates after pivoting off of Byakko's back.

"I got Grimm on my side." I replied with a genuine smile. "That, and I can trust you."

"... Then I'll be with you shortly."

After a bow, we then separated for a good while.

"... Hey Grimm." I asked while reaching for a [Tome] with an image of a skeletal hand on its cover. "Do you think it's never too late for me to start trusting in people again?"

**"... Well too answer your question, I think it's a start."** Grimm answered.** "But why we're talking about trust when were literally arming ourselves to kill people?"**

I simply smile.

"... Because I don't want forget that I can trust people."

**Switching POV: Unknown Spectator**

"So the arrival of our esteemed guest and his party is in short order?" The enshrouded figure asked before the kneeling soldier.

"Y-Yes, your emissary." The cat-eared soldier stated. "We've received a report from a forward scout. The Volunteer Division and your personal detachment will arrive by tomorrow morning."

"And our current... guest?" The elusive figure. "Is she well?"

"Well, she's fine, your emissary-"

A knife blade grazes past the cat demihuman's cheek, the projectile nailed to the wall behind her.

"I said, is she well?" The elusive figure asked in a firmer tone.

The cat demihuman shakes her head, stating "no".

"What did you do?" The figure asked the trembling cat demihuman. "If you're honest, I'll let you off."

"... She pissed me off, so I whipped her!" The cat-demihuman confessed. "I don't understand why you would spare a human after what they've done to us! You wouldn't understand what her kind did to my sister and brother!"

"Tch tch tch." The figure clicked its tongue. "It is you that don't understand the bigger picture. In order to achieve absolute benevolence, the first step is forgiveness. If you are unable to forgive her or her kind, then your heart will be forever be mired in malevolence."

"But still!" The cat demihuman remarked. "How am I supposed to forgive those rapists!? Those... animals!?"

"The path to benevolence is hard, little one." The figure remarked. "Contrary to popular belief, heroes aren't gods. True heroes walk a thorny and arduous path in order to become the beacon of hope in world where despair is the only truth. To think that forgiving her is easy is simply naive, because of course it's going to be hard, but true strength comes from the willingness to forgive."

The figure then reaches out its hand and places it onto her head.

"So tell me, little one." The figure asked from the darkness. "Are you willing to forgive her, for starters, at least?"

The catgirl grits her teeth as tears seep out of her eyes.

"... I can't." She cried out. "My heart will never forgive them for what they did to me. It hurts to even think about it... It hurts so much that I feel sick just by thinking about it..."

The hand is then removed from between her pair of ears.

"... Then I will release you from your suffering."

"... R-Really?"

A giant hand grabs the top of her head before twisting her neck like an _owl's_ with an audible *SNAP*.

The catgirl simply sees a veiled face in front of long locks of beautiful black hair from a tall and muscular woman, the veil with a **"仁"** (Benevolence) on the white tapestry.

That was the last thing she ever sees in her life, burned into her consciousness, right before her lifeless body was dragged out of the figure's chambers by her assailant.

"... How are people in this country still live with themselves with this kind of hatred in their hearts?" The figure asked himself. "Such suffering will be mended, and I will make sure of it."

The figure then takes out a book with the cover reading "1984".

"... I will do you proud, _lǎoshī_." The figure spoke to himself as the book opened in its hands. "_Zhuge Yi_ will and _must_."

**Switching POV: Glass**

Ever since she was taken in by L'Arc and Theresa's world after the destruction of her own, Glass's life would be best described as "semi-normal".

For adventurers like her, life usually revolved around taking quests, killing monsters, taking the reward gold, and occasionally pass out after one pint of draft beer. But for Glass, while she did indeed live her life as an adventurer, circumstances were... bizarre, to say the least.

Upon being chosen as the Vassal [Hero] of the [Legendary Fan], she was suddenly put on a pedestal and became a sort of an overnight celebrity, with all the glamour and caveats that came with the package deal.

After seeing her old world and her family get destroyed right in front, she'd hoped for more of a quiet life, but after her very first [Wave], she knew that her hopes for a quiet life is pure bullshit in the face of another complete and utter destruction.

It was upon becoming a [Hero] is how and why she met up with L'Arc and Theresa, the former being an heir to his own kingdom, and the latter a magical prodigy. Together, the three of them were unstoppable, and that they would use their strengths to save their own world from certain destruction, even if it means destroying another.

... And now, everything's been turned onto its head again, with Nan's revelation of a greater power manipulating everything behind the scenes, all to sate the goddess's bottomless ego, and seeing an actual Daemon being spawned from Hell itself is making her question her place in the world more and more. Their plan to destroy worlds were but a simple ploy of the whims of the same goddess that destroyed her own home. The things she and her friends initially believed in were all utter lies.

Nan was the loop that was thrown into this machination in this game between the heavens, and now, he was their only chance, insane as it sounds.

... Which was the only way for her to describe their current situation of being waited by [Dryads] and [Spriggans] like if all of them were at a high-end eatery. The nectar was good, if anything.

"I might be getting a dependency if I continue to eat..." Glass remarked after eating her third bulb of [Dryad]'s nectar. "So rich, yet so light... So sweet yet so mild... I might be an addict now."

"Speak for yourself..." L'Arc moaned out in pleasure. "... All of my worries and stress are melting away... I feel like I'm adrift in middle of calm and endless sea."

The so-called "calm" was then disturbed by the sounds of Garou and Fubuki vomiting.

"DIDN'T I TELL YOU!? I'M A FUCKING CARNIVORE!" Garou barked out. "IF I EAT ANYTHING OTHER THAN MEAT, I SHIT OUT FROM MY MOUTH!"

Fubuki was too busy vomiting to put her own two cents in.

"... You gotta wonder, why is Wyndia eating em without any issue?" L'Arc pointed out while pointing his thumb towards the [Garmr] demihuman girl who was on her _45th_ course of nectar.

"If I recall correctly, [Garmrs] aren't just carnivores." Theresa pointed out. "Their jaw structure are more akin to ursine than lupine, not to mention, their intestinal length are shorter than that of regular humans but longer than that of predatorily beasts."

"... So the wolf-like monsters are not actually related to wolves, but... bears?" L'Arc questioned. ".. I'm sorry, I never paid attention to beastiology."

"She's saying that [Garmrs] are _omnivores_." Glass pointed out. "The only downside for her is that she has to take in roughly 10,000 calories a day in order to keep her body functioning."

The three of them look at the [Garmr] girl, still devouring onto her now-54th course of nectar.

"... Shouldn't she be getting tired of eating sweet things?" L'Arc pointed out.

"I heard that [Garmrs] are able to survive hellish conditions by the virtue of them being unable to taste." Theresa replied. "As long as they eat their fill, they'll eat anything with caloric value."

"Is that why's she trying to eat that tree over there?" Glass pointed to the [Garmr] attempting to munch on the trees that were akin to towers.

"Should we stop her?" L'Arc pointed out as Wyndia was now being restricted and held up into the air by the [Dryad]'s vines.

The three of them see her trying to eat through the vines, only to be knocked out unconscious by a [Spriggan]'s spores.

"... I think they got it under control."

Then from the corner of her eye, she spots someone coming out from the roots.

"Oh, it's Nan-"

Upon seeing an black-bespecticled albino man wearing an dark-green vest-like armor over his black t-shirt, a pair of beige pants with multiple pouches strapped around its legs, a pair of dull-black combat boots with a single trench knife sheathed on the side of the right boot, and in his hands were a sand-beige colored [Musket] weapon, her [Sacred Fan] signaling it as a weapon called [FN SCAR-SC].

Whoever he was, he wasn't them, and everyone present pointed their weapons at the albino.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" The albino exclaimed as he raised his hands up into the air. "I'm with you guys! I swear!"

"Oh yeah, then what's with the flashy getup?" Garou snarled out as he pointed his [Katar] at him. "I don't recall anyone in the party wearing that."

"That's because he's our new friend." A familiar voice called out.

From the trees, a figure in a thick, brown-gray-colored hooded coat emerged, his right foot now a metallic-black, stamping a loose stone into gravel, leaving behind a **"死刑"** (Death Sentence) hot brand hissing on the dirt, his left hand now silver in color, its fingertips now gleaming with a razor's edge sharp enough to cut through air itself like hot knife through butter, underneath the foldings of his coat were several [Tomes] encased into several beltstraps constricted around his hips and legs like if they were walking libraries on their own, strapped around his back was an array of golden armor with several orbs of blue crystal on their grooves, hanging from his neck was a bronze necklace medallion in the visage of a bloated, headless man hanging from his ankles, its stubby outstretched hands having open mouths on their palms, and crowned around his head was a platinum-colored circlet with each individual gemstone resembling a human eye, with sharp nodes digging into his temples like a crown of thorns.

"... Nan?"

"Yo." The newly-clothed Nan greeted. "What's up?"

... His words sounded just wrong.

They were now completely void of any sanity, completely soulless to the point where that greeting of causal circumstance sounded more akin to a_ death threat_.

"... What happened?" L'Arc asked.

"Oh! You mean my new threads?" Nan replied. "Check it peeps. Evidently, a few of them managed to get though the defenses and I... kinda got caught with my pants down, metaphorically speaking. Turns out one of them had a [Projection Orb] on em, and they were still alive to see uh... _everything_."

Suddenly, the whole atmosphere plummeted down to subzero.

"... What, do they, know?" Glass asked as she grabbed Nan by his disgusting-looking medallion.

"... Eh... I've might've kind of given them away of the knowledge that there are other worlds beyond the [Waves], including and possibly _your very own_. So, yeah... I kinda underestimated their resilience, for lack of a better word." Nan visibly sweated out. "... Silver lining?"

His expression of panic then contorts into that of sheer, unrivaled _glee_.

Glass takes a closer look at Nan's eyes, still intact from all the wear and tear of their journey, one synthetic right eye, one organic left eye...

... But both were glowing like the _blood moon_ in the pitch-black night sky.

He was no longer insane. He's now become an omen of anarchy itself, the primordial chaos before creation.

... Nan has become the very same _abyss_ that he once stared into.

"We're given a blank check... to_ kill them all_." He smiled as he licked the ivory-colored barrel of his new handheld [Musket] weapon. "That way, I can finally fulfill everyone's promises. Glass and co. get free real estate, Malva finally gets to meet her younger brother, and everyone else gets to have their own pound of flesh on Melromarc's ass."

"You don't mean..." Glass trembled out. "... Don't tell me that!"

Several more albino people, including Byakko, now in a pure-black three-piece suit with a white tie, emerge from the roots, all of them carrying massive wooden crates and hooked metal rods along with the same or similar-looking equipment and weapons that the initial albino that they've cornered at weapon-point.

The ones with the hooked rods open the crates with them revealing new sets of chalk-white hooded robes, dull steel breastplate armor, weapons ranging from shortswords to crossbows, rectangular compact shields with orange linings, and blank ash-gray masks with only two circle vents for eyes.

"Buckle up kiddos..." Nan smiled. "... We're going to a legit _war_."

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **_Mindfuckception_. That's the Epic in a nutshell.

So, seeing one's self commit suicide can lead to some... damaging aftereffects. Even worse, the outside world now has confidential information regarding the partial nature behind the [Waves].

Also, the reveal of the mysterious spectator has been revealed, and he's going to spread his "benevolence" throughout the world, regardless of anyone's say in it. He will do it. He's already abducted an entire village and the Naofumi's entire party, himself included, so what's stopping him from doing more?

The Pandora's Box has been opened. The match has been struck. The contestants are armed and ready. Let the carnage commence.

_**...**_

_**Let's Burn It All to the Ground.**_


End file.
